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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24760024">Save the World</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovetheworldlikeishould/pseuds/Lovetheworldlikeishould'>Lovetheworldlikeishould</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Best Friend Squad (She-Ra), F/F, F/M, Growing Up Together, JK Rowling can shove it, M/M, Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra)'s A+ Parenting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:27:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>50,215</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24760024</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovetheworldlikeishould/pseuds/Lovetheworldlikeishould</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“My dear Adora, my prodigy, and the only one worthy of taking on the Weaver name. This is the day our journey truly begins. You will attend this school, learn its secrets, and earn their trust.” The hand on her shoulder tightens to the point of pain. Adora winces but doesn’t move, barely breathing.</p>
<p>Even though the school fired her from ever teaching there again, Weaver was still a very powerful witch, and no one could take that away from her. Her foster mother was a strong believer in what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and Adora was very strong.</p>
<p>Adora, Catra, and the gang grow up at Hogwarts. What her friends don't know is that Adora has been groomed by Shadow Weaver to infiltrate the school and exact revenge on those who dared get in her way on her quest for ultimate power. Will Adora be strong enough to save the world?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Angella/Micah (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>285</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Letters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you for reading, this is my first fic and my first time using AO3 so feel free to comment if something is wrong. Trans and nonbinary people are valid, and JK Rowling is insane and we would never support a homophobe. I find great joy in working Noelle's beautiful LGBT+ cast into this world and hopefully JK is quaking.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Adora isn’t excited like the other kids when she gets her letter in the mail. The red wax seal pushed down with the Hogwarts coat of arms. She already knows what it says, she has been training for this day her whole life. Adora had shown that she was very advanced in all magical skills, much more than the other children living in the foster home, and Ms.Weaver often placed massive expectations onto her.</p><p>She had almost wished that her letter would get lost in the wind, maybe the poor owl would get turned around and give up on finding Adora Weaver. It was too much for an eleven-year-old child, there was no time for fun, only for training. No time for friends, just allies. The other children in the foster home kept away from Adora, if they didn’t Ms. Weaver would be very upset. Adora shouldn’t have to deal with such distractions; she was far too important. </p><p>While Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio all sat together and openly celebrated their acceptance letters to Hogwarts, Adora took hers to her room. She used to share the room with Lonnie before Shadow Weaver insisted that much human interaction was unfavorable for training Adora. She ripped through the letter, looking at those fateful words. </p><p>
  <em> “Dear Adora Weaver, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…” </em>
</p><p>She first feels the draft of wind from the open door, then the wrinkled hand of Shadow Weaver as it wraps around her shoulder. She straightens her back and squirms to look at her foster mother. Her face is barely visible under the layers of scarves that Weaver always wears, and yet Adora can see the anger and determination in her eyes. </p><p>“My dear Adora, my prodigy, and the only one worthy of taking on the Weaver name. This is the day our journey truly begins. You will attend this school, learn its secrets, and earn their trust.” The hand on her shoulder tightens to the point of pain. Adora winces but doesn’t move, barely breathing. The air in the room is tense, and it's clear Ms. Weaver’s mind is elsewhere. Adora never truly understood Shadow Weaver’s obsession with the school. As far back as she could remember, Hogwarts had represented the unfairness of the world, and the betrayal inflicted upon her foster mother. Adora thinks that if someone had tossed her away like that, she would do everything she could to avoid it. But Shadow Weaver’s entire life revolved around how to destroy the school that ruined her, and by extension, Adora’s whole life. </p><p>“Yes, Ma’am.” She didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t disagree with her, she couldn’t bear the consequences of disobeying Shadow Weaver. Even though the school fired her from ever teaching there again, Weaver was still a very powerful witch, and no one could take that away from her. Her foster mother was a strong believer in what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and Adora was very strong. Any dissent was seen as a symptom of weakness and was squashed out using methods that others would deem to be not A+ parenting. </p><p>Shadow Weaver let out a low chuckle and finally released her from her hold. Adora lowered her eyes back to the paper and finally took a long-awaited breath. </p><p>“Tomorrow we will go over the details of the plan, but today you get to enjoy this. I remember when my letter came, I was overjoyed. I knew I would be the most powerful witch to ever walk the earth.” She used her curled fingers to lift Adora’s chin so that their eyes would meet. Once again the air leaves Adora’s lungs and the lump in her throat grows. </p><p>“That was until I found you, all alone and overflowing with magical energy. You are my daughter alone, and you alone will save this broken world.” With that, she stepped back and started out of the room. Adora steeled herself until she could no longer hear the light footsteps descending the stairs. She looked down at her letter, she was truly sentenced to her destiny. With anger she rarely lets herself feel she grabs the paper with both hands and rips it to shreds until the pieces are too small to rip any further.</p><p> Her hands tremble and she lets out a single sob, before pushing the pieces into her desk drawer and slamming it. Shadow Weaver was sure to hear it but she couldn't bring herself to care. In just a few months she would set out to Hogwarts, a place she had never once stepped foot near. And yet, it had already ruined her life.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The sounds of laughter and small explosions woke Catra this morning, as it often does. The walls shook and the lights in her room flickered. She forcefully swung her pillow over her head and around her ears. One of these days she was sure the entire house would crumble and she would be the only one who would care.</p><p>She noticed the other single bed in the room had already been vacated. Her older sister Noelle was already downstairs along with the rest of the family. Catra was known for sleeping in, especially on days when she decidedly should not. This day, on her eleventh birthday, she should have been the first to run down the stairs in excitement, but instead, she lazily pulled the covers that had fallen off back over her body. </p><p>“CATRA!” the voice boomed almost as loudly as the explosions that had pulled her from sleep. With a reluctant growl, she tossed the bedding aside and let her feet fall onto the cold wooden floor. Without making a sound she descended the stairs, passing a massive collection of green frames holding up the memories of family reunions and graduations. Two of her elder siblings had graduated from Hogwarts just last year. The twins sported the iconic green and silver in every photo displayed. In fact, the entire family did.</p><p>The spirit of Slytherin could be seen in every crevice of the house, from the coat of arms acting as a holiday wreath, to the historical founder’s photos carefully lined in albums as if they were blood relatives or close friends. Her family bled green. </p><p>In the corner of the room, she spotted her father’s oldest cauldron, a family heirloom. The explosions from earlier probably came from his tinkerings in that very pot. Catra had asked for a potion of fire protection for her birthday, and her father very rarely refused his favorite daughter. Even an experienced potioneer was bound to blow things up every now and again. It was the twins who usually sent the house swaying. </p><p>The long walk culminated with a bear hug from her father, who had waited at the end of the steep staircase.</p><p>“Humph,” Catra’s breath was pulled from her lungs and her arms stuck to her sides. She had very little in common with her beast of a father. Where Catra was young and thin, Zook was greying and could have been mistaken for a mountain. </p><p>“My little kitten, all grown up,” he laughed and released the small girl. She tumbled down the last step but caught herself before she could truly fall. “This birthday’s a big one, go see your mother in the kitchen, something came for you in the mail.” His smile stretched from ear to ear. </p><p>Without speaking she quickly turned, hoping to avoid another colossal embrace. She appreciated her father and all of his love, but she'd rather appreciate it from a distance, and with both feet on the ground. The kitchen was just a few doors down the long corridor. </p><p>“SURPRISE!” was shouted by all members of her immediate family as they huddled around a plate of pancakes holding up, what Catra presumed to be, eleven birthday candles. Her mother gestured her over and her father gently nudged her through the doorway. “Happy birthday Catra! Everyone on the count of three!” Her mother excitedly proclaimed. She counted off on three but the twins sang on two, Noelle and her mother on three, and her father long after when he was discovered to just be mouthing the lyrics. </p><p>Catra blew out the candles, and the applause once more shook the house. Her mother hurriedly reached into a cupboard and pulled out a pale envelope. The red wax seal pushed down with the Hogwarts coat of arms. Her mother laid the letter down in front of her and kissed her temple as she pulled back.</p><p> Catra gripped the letter in both hands, staring at the seal. For a few seconds, she only held it, occasionally turning it over. After a minute, she broke free of the feeling holding her in place and ripped the top off as fast as she could. Noelle reached forward to attempt to gracefully pop off the wax, maybe to save the letter to add to the family collection but was too late. The letter was pulled from its home and laid out for all to see. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Dear Caterina Meowith, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>That was all she was able to read before being lifted onto her father’s shoulders and paraded around the house. She was paraded past more photos, more awards, and more green. The last couple of birthdays her wish had stayed the same. She wished extra hard on it this year, and she needed it to come true.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I wish to be a Slytherin.” </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The halls of the castle rarely felt as empty as they did today. All of the students home for break and Glimmer left alone to her own devices once more. Her mother was working today and her father was away on business. Glimmer stared out the frosted window onto the courtyard below. Thinking of next year, when she would officially be attending Hogwarts. Unlike her future classmates, she knew the castle, the traditions, and the professors. She grew up in these very walls. That's what happens when your mother is the Headmaster and your father is the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. </p><p>A sudden fluttering surrounded the school, as dozens of owls were released all at once. Glimmer could see each held an incredibly important envelope in its talons. Each would reach a child, a future witch or wizard. Each letter would change a life. </p><p>After watching the birds fly over the horizon Glimmer stepped down from the window onto the tiled floor of the castle. The fight with her mother rang in her ears.</p><p>
  <em> “UGH, Mooooom, why don’t I get a letter?!” Glimmer pouted at the headmaster.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Because darling, you live here. It wouldn’t make much sense to send an owl just to have it fly around the block,” The tall woman spoke to her daughter using rational ideas a child just couldn’t comprehend. Glimmer wanted to be like everyone else, every other student gets a letter, why shouldn’t she? “Besides, you already know you are going here. I’m not going to waste an owl to send a letter to myself,” She huffed. “Why don’t you go see your friend, he should be here soon.” </em>
</p><p>So that was what Glimmer would do. She followed the colored tiles to the main hallway and moved through the castle. The changing stairs and corridors didn’t deter her in the slightest. Soon she stood in front of the massive door that led into the library. Before she could push it open she heard a voice calling behind her.</p><p>“Glimmer! Hey Glimmer!” The young boy raced, nearly tripping over himself. He came to a stop just before colliding with her. In his right hand, he held a letter, his Hogwarts letter.</p><p>“Bow, you didn’t need to run, it's not like I’m going anywhere. I’m never even allowed out of the castle without an adult.” She huffed, partially to herself. Bow’s massive smile tore her attention away from her inner thoughts.</p><p>“Glimmer I got my letter, I’m officially going to Hogwarts!” He held it like a scroll, with one hand on the top and the other pulling at the bottom. On the paper in clear cursive, it said,</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Dear Bow Arron, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Glimmer couldn’t hold in her tears any longer, and they fell down her cheeks. Bow didn’t notice at first, the letter covered his sight until he pulled it back. His smile quickly turned and he brought his hand to Glimmer’s.</p><p>“What’s wrong? We're going to go to school together and be best friends forever.” He tried to cheer her up. The girl brushed her tears and pink hair out of her eyes and quieted down. </p><p>“I’m not getting a letter, Mom says it's stupid cause I know I’m going here already.” The tears threatened at her eyes once more. “But I want a letter so bad!” She let out a frustrated sigh. That's all Bow needed to hear before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his portable quill. He turned his letter back toward him and quickly scribbled something down. He shoved the letter back into the envelope it had arrived in and pushed the seal into place. </p><p>“Here, now it's our letter.” With that, he handed Glimmer the letter. The red wax seal pushed down with the Hogwarts coat of arms. She gingerly opened the letter and read it aloud.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p><em> “Dear Bow Arron, </em> <b>and Glimmer Brightmoon</b></p><p>
  <em> We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>They would go to Hogwarts together, and be best friends forever, Glimmer was sure of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Early Bird</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The best friend squad gets a little bit bigger. Catra has to say goodbye to her family for the first time in her young life.  The train station makes a mean bacon egg and cheese, Melog would agree.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The trains sputter and groan, while the speakers announce destinations and delays. The city was different than Catra remembered, less scary, and more electrifying. She was no longer afraid of the shoes clattering along the streets or the horns of passing cars. The last time she visited she had been much smaller and clung to her father the whole trip. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes he was required to come into the city to do business or shop for specialized items not available in the small town they resided. By moving outside the metropolitan area the family had more room to expand, and expand they did. With four children and countless pets and livestock, no one would dare call the Meowiths a small family. The extra room was also necessary for her large father and his rather explosive work. Potioneers didn’t often work in close quarters, at least not for very long. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The train didn’t arrive until 11:00 am, so Catra was noticeably upset when they entered the station at exactly 9:30. Noelle rose early and rushed Catra and their father out of the house quickly. Her mother and older siblings had bid them farewell at the door. The tears flowed as if this was the first time she had to send her children away for the semester. Even this was rushed for the sake of being punctual. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noelle refused to be late, it would have been horribly unseemly for a prefect. Being perfect seemed to come naturally to Noelle. She was the perfect student, the perfect daughter, and the perfect Slytherin. Catra always seemed to get lost behind her massive shadow and was immensely worried the same would happen at Hogwarts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The fifth-year was even on the quidditch team, their star seeker. Catra thought it was outrageously unfair that this was the act she had to follow. At least the twins had flaws, probably more flaws than virtues. But even they followed in their father’s footsteps, from Slytherins to Potioneers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Girls, why don’t we grab some food while we wait?” Her father nudges her arm. Noelle responds for her with a shake of her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No thank you father, I packed us lunches for the train, they really do try to gauge you here.” Catra scoffs at that and rolls her eyes. This didn’t go unnoticed by either of her companions. Her father chuckles at her obvious disdain and her sister crosses her arms. “One of us must be prepared, and it certainly isn’t you Catra. You barely remembered to pack your animal companion.” She gestures to the carrier hanging from Catra’s hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At its mention, the animal paws at the cage and lets out a faint meow. Along with her potion of fire protection and letter to Hogwarts, Melog was gifted to Catra on her birthday. He had hardly left her side since.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra pulls the carrier to her eyes and wiggles one finger between the bars. Melog happily chases after it and continues to purr. The once white kitten was now sporting a shimmering purple coat. Her mother had charmed the cat to better match the many couches littered throughout the house. This resulted in fewer noticeable clumps of hair lodged between the cushions, and more interesting hairballs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She doesn’t know what she would do if Melog wasn’t with her. She may have spent most of her childhood among muggle children, but she never really grew close to any of her peers. They often whispered about the odd family with the loud voices and even louder firecrackers going off all hours of the day. It was difficult to make friends when she had to lie about such an important part of her culture and life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would never forget Melog, we would have left you before we left him,” Catra proclaims and sticks out her tongue. “Besides you may have packed lunch, but it isn’t lunch yet, not for another nine hours!” She throws her hands in the air. Her father laughs at her exaggeration but agrees with his daughter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about money Noelle, it's a special day. Let me get you two some breakfast.” With that, they follow the signs to the closest cafe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The decor of the shop reminds Catra of an industrial park. The exposed vents and structural beams are very different from her farmhouse. They pick out their food and quickly pay without any trouble. Catra cradles her bacon egg and cheese, she would share with no one. Except maybe for Melog, who smells the sandwich and begins to aggressively claw at the carrier. Catra alternates between taking large bites and breaking off small pieces; together she and Melog quickly eviscerate the bagel. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Customers come and go as the family enjoys their morning meal. Nothing extraordinary stands out to Catra until she witnesses two children, around her age, accompanied by a dark-haired woman in long purple wizarding robes. On her head, practically floating, is a golden tiara. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra looked to her father, he had also noticed the newcomers and seemed noticeably perturbed. Witches and wizards generally wear muggle clothes when working or traveling in close proximity to them. This woman stood out like a sore thumb and didn’t appear to care.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra knew her father worked hard to maintain the enigma surrounding her family and felt it was irresponsible to be so blasé about magical means. Zook had always told her that exposing muggles to magic was incredibly dangerous and unnecessary. He once tried to explain it in a way the young girl could understand,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Look what they have done to each other without the use of magic, they have proven time and time again that they are far too emotional and intolerant to be allowed to know magic exists.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noelle scooted closer to Catra, breaking her out of her thoughts, and whispered in her ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That's Madam Castaspella, professor of Charms.” Catra suddenly grew very excited at the prospect of seeing a teacher outside of school. Her father had overheard the exchange between his daughters and stood up, pushing his chair against the concrete floor. This resulted in a shrill noise akin to scraping nails across a chalkboard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll introduce us then, and maybe apologize for the twins while I’m at it.” Both girls try to grab at his arm, try to stop their father from embarrassing them, but he is too fast. Their only resolve is to cover their faces in their arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no, no, no, no, no, no…” They both mumble under their breaths. He reaches the professor just as the barista hands the group their order. Catra can hear very little of the exchange, but watches as the professor’s face goes from surprise to annoyance, to laughter. Soon her father starts walking back toward the table with all three strangers following closely behind. Noelle quickly jumps up to greet them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello professor, did you have a good summer?” ever the people pleaser. She picks up the fruit cup she had ordered and gestures to her vacated seat, allowing the children to move into the booth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes actually, I had a rather splendid break, I got to spend it with my niece,” she rests her hand on the young girl’s shoulder. “I just love to spoil her, you should have seen how glum and malnourished she was before she got to my house. It’s almost like her mother forgets to feed her.” The young girl with the pink hair dramatically rolls her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra, the professor was just telling me that her niece and young friend are also first years.” Catra took this time to actually observe the two kids. The girl has sparkles scattered in her pink hair, it could have been from glitter or a magical effect, she couldn’t tell. The boy wore jeans and a sweater that appeared to be too small. When his arms lifted the shirt would rise to expose his stomach. This happened often as he mostly walked and sat with his hand clasped behind his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lugged behind them were suitcases and books, much like Catra’s own cart. Engrossed in her observations, Catra almost doesn’t notice when the girl introduces herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, I’m Glimmer and this is Bow.” The young boy excitedly waves his hand. The adults and Noelle move to a table directly behind the original while the kids sit together in the booth. Catra scoots away, making the pleather under her groan. She keeps her distance and her suspicion of the newcomers is shown clearly on her features.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, your cat is purple? That's so cool!” The carrier had made its way onto the table and Melog curiously sniffed the air around the kids. Bow smiles at the creature and offers some of his own breakfast, a small ball of melon. Catra scoffs but is amused by the boy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cats don’t eat fruit, they only eat meat and sometimes grass.” Catra proclaims confidently. She knows a decent amount about plant and animal health from growing up on her family’s small farm. Bow looks a bit ashamed and blushes. Glimmer senses the unease in her friend. She rips off a piece of her sausage and hands it to Bow so that he could feed their new furry friend. Catra noticed the two were seated very close together, practically fighting for elbow room, and seemed very close in general.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you brother and sister?” Catra questions. On her street at home, there was a house just as noisy as her own. It was filled with children of all colors and creeds. When she asked her father about it he had said it was a foster home. Where kids went before they found their forever families and that all of the children there were siblings, even if they didn’t look alike. Catra wonders if the same was true for Bow and Glimmer, they certainly did not share many physical qualities. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer and Bow looked at each other and burst into laughter. After a few seconds, they answered at the same time,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO!” They once more both giggled at the query. “Bow and I are just best friends forever,” Glimmer explains. “Both of our parents work at Hogwarts so we hang out, like, all the time.” This certainly excited Catra, there were very few people allowed onto castle grounds before they came of age. She herself was not allowed to attend her sibling’s graduation due to this rule. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, you’ve been to the castle?” Her eyes widened in wonder. Both children bobbed their heads, clearly pleased at her reaction. “So have you learned any magic yet?” Catra herself had shown very few natural magical abilities, especially when compared to Noelle. The family had been forced to magic proof the house when Noelle was a young child. Toys had often floated into her crib, the mobile would hum a tune it did not know, and unwanted vegetables would be found behind bookcases when the flies became obvious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, we aren’t trained yet, and we just picked up our wands. My dad works in the library, so he teaches me muggle history and magical history. Glimmer is the one with real magic.” The girl in question shakes her head in disagreement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not good with magic yet, it's just sometimes when I feel sad or really happy things might move.” This leaves a bad taste in Catra’s mouth as she thinks about the sister sitting behind her. She had always been jealous of Noelle’s natural abilities. Catra had to try three times harder than Noelle to get a fraction of the same result. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about you Catra, can you do magic?” Bow askes expectantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, but sometimes I work with my Dad when he makes potions. I even got a potion of fire protection for my birthday,” she fumbles through her backpack to find the bottle. The orange liquid swirls under the cork. “Dad says it's good to be prepared for the worst, and I think the worst would be catching on fire.” She shivers then shrugs off the thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At his mention, Zook turns toward the children.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you kids getting along?” He receives three quick head nods. Professor Castaspella also leans back over the chair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It would be so good for Glimmer to have more friends. Before this summer I was sure young Bow was just another imaginary companion,” she chuckles. “Catra should I knit you a sweater? Bow loves his, don’t you Bow?” He smiled and sheepishly nodded at Glimmer’s aunt. With the weather in the seventies today, a sweater hardly seems like appropriate attire, but Catra can understand why he chose to don it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noelle interrupted by calling attention to the time,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t mean to rush anyone but we should probably get to the boarding platform.” Her watch and the clock cemented to the wall both indicted that much time had passed during the interaction. Now around 10:45, they agreed to walk as a group to platform 9 3/4. The kids entered one at a time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When it came to be Catra’s turn she hesitated. She prided herself on being brave and fearless, but this seemed like it was bigger than just walking through to the other side. She felt that once she stepped forward part of her life would be over, and an entirely new chapter would begin. She felt a comforting hand grip her shoulder. Her father looked into her eyes and nodded reassurance. She felt her worries and insecurities melt, as long as she had her family everything would be fine. That was all Catra needed before setting off at a sprint.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She emerged from the portal and came very close to tumbling into her sister. She was about to yell at Noelle for standing in the path when she noticed the bright red locomotive occupying the tracks. The magical shine and whistles demanded the attention of everyone near. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite all the thoughts racing in her head she only let out one word,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Professor Castaspella, Glimmer, and Bow had gotten on line for boarding and waved toward them. But Catra’s feet were suddenly feeling very heavy. She turned toward her father and looked up at the man who had raised her. He noticed her hesitation and kneeled down to push a hair behind her ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra, you have so much heart and potential inside that tiny body. Your Mom and I are already so proud of everything you are and everything you will become. Do not forget that. We are only ever a letter away,” He kissed her forehead and then pulled her into a crushing hug. “Noelle you get in here too, this is a family hug.” Reluctantly, Noelle came to join them. They enjoyed one last familial embrace before they would have to be separated for some time. Catra let go once she felt her wits return to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She follows behind Noelle and steps into line to get her ticket punched. Bow looks back to her with a smile,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, we should totally sit together!” All three of the first years nod in agreement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The cabin me and my friends usually use should be unoccupied,” Noelle mentions to the children. “We are all prefects this year so we have to sit in a designated area near the front, the same goes for professors.” Catra thinks that Noelle can always find a moment to brag about how accomplished she is, no matter the situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra takes one more moment to look back over her shoulder at her father. He is waiting there, as patient as ever, and gives her a single supportive nod. With that, she follows Noelle and takes her first step onto the train, and her first step toward her future. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Cabin Coincidence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Best Friend Squad is finally whole! Adora learns how to act like a real child.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adora hears the train whistle whine three times, indicating there are 15 minutes left to board. She sits alone in an unoccupied train compartment. The walls painted in a hideous beige and the large couch-like seats covered in a blue floral pattern. Her collection of belongings, just a single suitcase, her required magical items, and her brown-spotted owl, sit beside her.</p><p>During the time she had been in the cabin, a few people had passed her door, looked in, and decided to try their luck somewhere else. Adora didn’t blame them. Shadow Weaver often told her she radiated immense power, and that was likely to drive away inferiors. Adora thinks it's because of the bags under her eyes and her disheveled outfit. She also forgot to shower due to the hustle and bustle of the morning. </p><p>Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio had taken the cabin directly behind her. She didn’t bother asking if she could sit with them, she already knew the answer. They all hated her, and with good reason too. If Adora messed up a spell or slept in too long the others were pushed to pick up the slack. As far as Shadow Weaver was concerned Adora could do no wrong.</p><p>But this favoritism didn’t only hurt her foster siblings. She had been forced to hone her skills with intense magical and physical training since she was just a child. She was no stranger to being knocked back into a wall due to a slow casting of protego, or having her body paralyzed from a petrificus. </p><p>Adora turns her new wand over in her hands. It feels different than the one Shadow Weaver had given her to train with. This felt less like a weapon and more like an extension of herself. While her training wand had been made from aspen, a known dueling wood, her personal wand was crafted from cypress. The wandmaker had told her cypress was often tied to nobility, and that it was said to be that owners of cypress wands would die a heroic death. When called upon they would lie down their lives for the greater good. Adora hoped it wouldn’t come to that.</p><p>The magical training of children outside of the registered schools was prohibited, but that did not stop Shadow Weaver. She was able to cast powerful concealing spells to mask Adora’s training. Even if the ministry found out what’s the worst they could do, banish her? They already did that, there was nothing left to lose. That was what made Shadow Weaver dangerous. </p><p>Due to her banishment, Ms. Weaver was unable to take the children to Diagon alley or to the boarding platform. These errands were instead performed by one of her “shadows”. Nondescript wizards and muggles devoted to the cause. This morning a man in a black van had appeared in front of the house and carried their bags into the car. He did not exchange words with them. When he first stepped into the house he had dropped to one knee and muttered the familiar greeting.</p><p>“We serve magic, we serve the shadow.” Adora only found unease in these words. The shadows never gave their names and never appeared twice. This may have been due to transfiguration magic, or just the perils of being part of a dangerous dark magic organization.</p><p>Adora looks up at the sound of the door sliding open. </p><p>“Oh, sorry we didn’t see you there. We can find a different cart if you want to be alone.” The boy looks bashful and genuine. Just as he starts backing away, the final whistle rings, and the train lurches forward.</p><p>“Ok, I guess we're sitting here then.” The sparkly one comments. The three students struggle to pull their belongings inside the cabin. Adora tries to make some more room by pushing her suitcase onto the exposed overhead railings and moving her owl’s cage to fit between her feet. </p><p>Once all is inside and packed away, the small girl with the wild hair opens an animal carrier. A small purple cat jumps out, relieved to be free of confinement. Adora hadn’t seen many animals in her life, her first pet was Swiftwind, the owl currently shifting in its cage. She had just picked him up during their trip to Diagon alley. In addition to concealment spells, Shadow Weaver also casts magical shields that keep out even the smallest animals. She was suspicious of anything that could carry a message. </p><p>The shimmering purple cat does not seem to notice Adora’s hesitation and quickly jumps up into her lap. Adora feels as if Shadow Weaver had cast petrificus on her, as her body stills in fear of upsetting the cat and its owner. </p><p>“That's Melog. He’s friendly.” The small girl pushes the last of her luggage under the seat and sits next to Adora. She is wearing a green hoodie with the sleeves pushed up, it's worn and a bit oversized. She is just short enough to swing her feet back and forth without reaching the floor of the cabin. Adora remains hypervigilant of the small creature pacing back and forth on her lap.</p><p>“I’ve never met a cat before, you promise it won’t bite?” She pushes her back further into her seat, trying to distance herself from the furry beast. The small girl brought her hand up to Melog and scratched behind his ear. With a giggle, she responds to Adora.</p><p>“He would never hurt anyone, I promise.” Melog proves her point by softly settling into Adora’s lap and closing his eyes. Adora couldn’t move if she wanted to. The other children watched the display with joy written on their faces, and maybe a little envy. The girl with the pink hair introduced herself,</p><p>“Well, it's nice to meet you. My name is Glimmer, this is Bow, and that’s Catra. We are all first years.” She stood up and made the short walk across the cabin to shake Adora’s hand. She heard Catra scoff at the action.</p><p>“Jeez, what <em> are </em>you, kids don’t shake hands.” Adora would have to remember that. She hadn’t had much opportunity to socialize and often felt out of place because she didn’t know how to act like a real child. </p><p>“Hi, I’m Adora. I’m also a first-year student. I’m going to be a Gryffindor.” She trails off and thinks of other things she could say about herself, mostly coming up blank. But it does not matter because her companions seemed shocked at what little she did say. </p><p>“What do you mean you’re gonna be a Gryffindor? There's no way you know that for sure!” Catra loudly inquired. This thoroughly surprised Adora, she had thought everyone knew. The foster children had originally been chosen based on the house Shadow Weaver believed they would be sorted into. Kyle was a Hufflepuff, Rogelio a Ravenclaw, Lonnie a Slytherin, and Adora a Gryffindor. </p><p>“I just am, don’t you know what you are?” At this Bow spoke up.</p><p>“We can make some guesses but you never really know until the sorting hat tells you.” Adora scratches her head. If she doesn’t become a Gryffindor Shadow Weaver would be very upset. And that scared Adora. She pulls her legs up onto the seat, disturbing Melog, and hugging her knees.  </p><p>Glimmer sees the girl retreat into herself and speaks up,</p><p>“You could definitely end up in Gryffindor. There's no need to be upset until it's set in stone.” Catra also chimes in, feeling a bit bad for causing the girl worry.</p><p>“Yeah, you could be a Gryffindor, but why would you want to? Slytherin is soooooo much better.” She tugs at the front of her shirt and points at the inscription. It reads, “Slytherin Strong”. Adora wipes the tears from her eyes and smiles a bit at that. “Everyone in my whole family is Slytherins. I want to be just like them,” she smirks, “but better.” </p><p>Adora thinks this girl might be the nicest Slytherin ever. So far she has let Adora pet her cat, assured her, and tried to cheer her up. The only real Slytherin Adora knew was Shadow Weaver. This was because she went snooping into her room during one of Weaver’s few trips out of the house and found a picture of her wearing the signature green and silver robes. </p><p>Suddenly Bow chimes in with his own aspirations.</p><p>“I want to be a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. Both my dads were in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff just seems so nice.” He pushes his hands against his cheeks and rests his elbows on his knees. He seems to be daydreaming about the possibilities so Glimmer speaks up.</p><p>“My mom was in Hufflepuff but my dad was a Slytherin. When I was a kid I only wanted to be in Gryffindor but now I don’t really have a dream house.” Catra scoffs at her and rolls her eyes. </p><p>“You’re still a kid, sparkles.” Glimmer looks a little upset but is interrupted by the HoneyDuke Express rolling by. Catra sees this and quickly gets to her feet in excitement. The attendant opens the door and offers the kids her selection. Glimmer and Bow both purchase an assortment of chocolates and toffee. Catra only purchases one bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.</p><p>Adora pretends to fiddle with her bag so she isn’t asked if she wants to buy anything. Shadow Weaver hadn’t given the kids any money before they left. All finances were controlled by the shadows that followed them. This interruption did little to quell the aching in her stomach. She hadn’t eaten since last night. </p><p>“Do you want to share?” Catra sat back down next to her after the transaction. Adora looks over at the box held between her hands and responds,</p><p>“I’m not really supposed to eat candy, it’s not good for you,” Adora mutters under her breath. Catra completely disregards what she said and pours some beans into her open hand. She offers them to Adora.</p><p>“Candy is fine as long as you don’t eat too much, you’ll get a tummy ache that way. Just pick one, no one will know.” Adora thinks how horribly wrong Catra was, someone was always watching. The ache in her stomach spikes with the possibility of food quickly becoming a reality. She gives in and picks a yellow bean from Catra’s hand. She examines the speckled candy, unsure of what flavor it was supposed to be. She briefly hesitated before popping it in her mouth. Flavor, like she had never experienced, coated her tongue and she managed to hold in a moan. Catra follows suit and selects a green-colored bean. Only a second later she spits it out. It travels across the floor and under Glimmer’s feet. </p><p>Melog is awakened by the commotion and chases the bean, further startling Glimmer. He paws at the offending candy while Catra sputters and spits the rest out. After some deliberation, Melog picks up the candy in his teeth and eats it with a single bite. </p><p>“Hey, I thought you said he only eats meat and grass!” Bow accused. Catra tried to rid herself of the flavor by rubbing her tongue on her shirt. </p><p>“He does, that <em> was </em>grass!” Catra wailed. The three unharmed students all laughed together with Catra soon joining in. They played with the flavored beans for a while more after that. Adora would pick strawberry, and Catra dog food. The next round Adora tasted bubble gum while Catra endured the liver. Laughter filled the cabin, more laughter than Adora had ever heard in all of her years combined. Maybe Hogwarts wouldn’t be so bad. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The students were awakened from their nap by the shrill whistle of the train. Adora jumps up, wand at the ready. She scans her surroundings only to find a surprised Bow and Glimmer, along with a still slumbering Catra. Melog had made his way onto Catra’s chest as she slept, he raised only one eyelid at Adora’s outburst.</p><p>The PA system released a short burst of feedback followed by an update,</p><p>“Hello students, we will be approaching Hogwarts in just a few minutes so please change into your cloaks now. Leave your luggage and owls in your compartments, they will be delivered to your dorms following the sorting ceremony. First years will be asked to wait in their cabins until dismissed, all other years may exit when we come to a complete stop.” Halfway through the announcements, Catra had woken up. She rubbed at her eyes groggily and gently pushed Melog off her chest. </p><p>While Glimmer and Bow hold hands and jump in circles Adora looks out the window at the passing terrain. The fields of grass and pristine black lake do not look like the horrible war-torn battlefields Shadow Weaver had told her to expect. Maybe they had remodeled, Adora thought. </p><p>She sits back into the seat and tries to settle her nerves.</p><p>“Nervous?” The girl beside her asks. Catra too had sat back onto her seat, now occupied with wringing her hands together. Adora nods in confirmation. “Me too.” Catra quietly confides. </p><p>The students reach into their bags and bring out the required standard black robes. They successfully cover their outfits and Bow seems more than a little uncomfortable. With every step his shrunken sweater slides against the thin robes, creating static, and causing the hairs on his arms to stand. </p><p>The train comes to a stop and the cabin is still for the first time since departure. They wait in a comfortable silence as they watch upper-year students file past the window and out onto the platform. It only takes a few minutes until they hear another announcement,</p><p>“First years, please get off at the front exit and follow the path to the dock. Do not, I repeat, do not leave the path for any reason. Yes, that means you Catra.” The announcement ended and Adora was very confused. </p><p>“Why is the train talking to you?” Adora questioned her new classmate. Glimmer chuckles at the query. Catra huffs, clearly annoyed, but answers,</p><p>“That's just my sister, she’s a prefect for Slytherin. And also, a butt.” Catra shrugs. The group files out of the cabin with nothing but what they wear on their backs. For Catra this includes Melog. They exit through the front most door and easily follow the path. Not even Catra could get lost. </p><p>Soon enough the students step onto the dock. In front of them, a flock of rowboats, some already on the move toward the school. Adora physically takes a step back to admire the grandness that is Hogwarts. The eternal castle seems to glitter in the retreating sunlight. She wishes she had more time to just look at the picturesque image in front of her but they are quickly directed to a boat of their own.</p><p>“Only four students per rowboat, anymore and you might flip over, and then drown, and then get eaten by the monster fish. Like I care,” another prefect warns half-heartedly. Bow enters the creaking boat first and offers Glimmer his hand. Adora steps on with little help, but Catra seems to be stuck on the dock.</p><p>“Has one of these ever flipped over, or like caught fire? It just doesn’t seem very safe.” Catra stuttered while she paced along the wooden boards. </p><p>“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Kids are so annoying UGH. Just get in the boat.” The prefect gave Catra a weak push toward the water. </p><p>“Come on Catra, it's not that far of a step,” Adora says. Catra takes a visibly deep breath and murmurs under her breath,</p><p>“Stupid water, stupid boat. I should have asked for a potion of water breathing instead.” Adora offers her hand like she had just seen Bow do. At first Catra ignores it and tries to step into the boat on her own accord but halfway down she loses confidence and almost falls in the black lake. Adora’s outstretched hand grabs her wrist and pulls her in. Catra lets out a little shriek and Melog, a small worried meow. But they both quickly settle down.</p><p>“Uh, thanks. But I totally had it.” Adora can see a faint blush on her cheeks. </p><p>“Yeah, sure you did.” The watercraft magically lurches forward and the students each choose a seat. The boats glide across the water and the setting sun reflects off the sheen of the lake. It was beautiful and quiet. Adora thinks maybe she could get used to this. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Cat in the Hat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone gets sorted, and not everyone is happy with it.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Catra steadies herself in the small rowboat. She had always hated water and dreaded swimming. The few times her father had tried to teach her, Catra’s small frame would sink like a rock. If she would be thrown from this craft in the middle of the lake she would surely drown, and then get eaten by sea monsters. Like the angry prefect had said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra never liked to accept help and was always sore to admit when she needed it. So when Adora caught her and saved her, it went against her nature. She looks over at the blonde girl, her small hair pouf and ponytail swaying slightly in the wind. Catra thinks she certainly looks like a typical Gryffindor. But so far she had been more scared, and reserved, than outright brave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sitting on Adora’s lap was Melog, who must have found it to be more comfortable than Catra’s trembling body. Between the nervousness and her fear of water, Catra was shaking like a leaf. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Directly in front of them, the land and the castle situated there came closer and closer until the boat drifted into the dock. A magical rope wrapped around a wooden post and the children stood. Catra stayed seated until she saw Adora’s outstretched hand, identical to what she had done at the other dock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> She contemplated taking it as Melog wrapped himself around Catra’s shoulders. She convinced herself she was accepting Adora’s help for Melog’s sake, surely he would hate the water just as much as Catra, and she was responsible for his safety. Their hands clasp together and Adora pulls Catra up and out of the seat. She is much stronger than she looks and easily keeps hold as they exit the boat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra swallows her pride and thinks that Adora’s slightly smug grin is the lesser of two evils. But the second she is on solid ground she releases the hand with a flourish. Adora is too preoccupied with staring at the castle to notice her dramatic movements. On the water, Catra had been far too engulfed in worry to really observe her new home. The floors and towers seem to emerge directly from the ground. The mountains sprouted up on all sides of the castle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In order to reach the entrance from where the friends stood, they would have to climb a mountain of steps. Catra thanks the heavens that their belongings were taken up for them and that Melog hardly weighs a thing. First years clamber up the stairs, all very eager to start the ceremony. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on guys, we don’t want to be the last ones there!” Bow exclaims. They all start the climb at breakneck speed, similar to what most of the students were trying. The further they climbed, the slower everyone became. Catra feels her feet start to drag and her shoulders slump. The same cannot be said for Adora, who had managed to maintain her excitement and speed for the entire trek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora waited for the rest of them at the top of the stone steps. Catra reached the summit next, followed by Bow, who was now practically dragging Glimmer. The students pant and puff. Catra thinks if she has to lift her foot just one more time she would fall over from exhaustion. Before them stands the great gates of Hogwarts. Professor Castaspella stands just inside the entrance and directs the first years into the building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are my favorite students,” her hand coming to cover her mouth as she laughs. “Oh my, I probably shouldn't say that. Don’t want others to think you have an unfair advantage.” Catra thinks it would be exhausting to be related to her, and internally considers not giving Glimmer such a hard time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora looks confused, she has yet to meet the professor. Catra brings one hand to Adora’s ear and whispers behind it,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s Glimmer’s Aunt. She’s also gonna be our Charms Professor.” At the mention of charms Adora’s face lights up. Catra herself is not readily looking forward to this particular class. She already knew her favorite class would be potions, she loves to help her father whenever he would allow it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer steps out of Bow’s arms and begins to move on her own once more. She leads the march through the doorway. Behind her Bow follows very closely, ready to catch her if she were to suddenly fall over from exhaustion. Catra and Adora walk together, side by side until they reach a congested line of first years. Professor Castaspella speaks to the group,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello all, we are just waiting for a few more students and then we will make our way into the grand hall. Every student and professor in all of Hogwarts will be there to see you sorted. So be sure to walk confidently and smile!” she directs that last message at Glimmer. The girl lets out a strained, annoyed breath and puts on a sarcastic smile for her Aunt. The professor leaves the line and walks back outside to direct the final stragglers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra sucks in a large breath when a translucent body materializes in front of them. It starts as a foggy blob, but quickly defines into the shape of a large woman wearing wizarding robes. Catra is not the only student to notice this as a blonde boy jumps into the air and shrieks. Glimmer rolls her eyes and tells her friends,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That's just Glenda, she’s a First One.” Catra had never heard of a First One before, and it shows on her face. Adora is looking around at the apparitions rising from the walls and floors, also clearly confused. “First Ones are from a very powerful magical bloodline. The legends say the last one died over a thousand years ago. They were known as the heroes of Hogwarts and used to protect the castle using the runestones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The befuddlement on their faces only grew with each word. Glimmer huffed, “They had so much magic that it didn’t completely disappear when they died, and many of them still exist in this form,” she gestures to the translucent bodies circling in the air. “They help the students get around and a lot of them are very nice.” These are ghosts, Catra thinks. Certainly odd, but now that she knows they won’t hurt her she can see just how interesting they are. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One floats behind Adora and Catra points to it,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adora that one looks a lot like you.” The blonde turns around to inspect the figure. When she identifies the particular one Catra is pointing at she rolls her eyes and grumbles. It appears to be a large burly man, missing an arm. His gut sways above the students, and some even duck to avoid it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha ha, very funny Catra.” Adora lightly shoves the now giggling girl. Catra decides she won’t take that lying down and comes back with a shove of her own. It quickly turns into a grappling match and ends with Catra in a headlock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, this must be </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>embarrassing for you.” Adora laughs at her misfortune. She finally releases Catra when Professor Castaspella ushers the last students into line. Catra huffs and explains,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I let you win, and not cause I like you,” she ran her hands through her hair, trying to put back into place the pieces that had escaped in the scuffle. “Gryffindors are supposed to be confident so I thought I’d be nice and give your ego a boost.” She can tell Adora doesn’t believe her, but it doesn’t matter because suddenly the line is moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Glimmer turns around and shushes them. If she was less nervous Catra would have told her </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>where to shove it, but she's speechless as the line shuffles forward into the great hall. All the first year's eyes were glued to the ceiling. Stars shimmer and comets explode. Catra watches the floating candles that light the grand room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could see a line of adults stand at the very front of the hall. They greatly varied in size and stature, but all exuded magic. She deduced these must be the professors. The one adult who had been sitting in a large chair suddenly stood. She wore her robes like a cape and easily stood more than six feet tall. She addressed the crowd,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome all to another great year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Today we induct a new class of students into our ranks with our tried and true method of house sorting. In the past, your houses would be the only students you sat with, learned with, and grew up with. In our modern world, we now know this is not how children should live. Children need exposure to all people, no matter how they differ from themselves. That is why, starting this year, all classes will contain a mixture of all four houses. We learn to be tolerant and to connect with others when we are shown just how similar our differences can be.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The murmurs in the hall grew exponentially. Catra could hear both positive and negative reactions to the new rule. She briefly caught a few exchanges,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! We can totally cheat off the Ravenclaws…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, what if they are mean to us…?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, how am I supposed to avoid Sea Hawk now? UGH…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman who originally spoke, possibly the Headmaster, raised her staff and brought it to the ground in one motion. The thump produced was difficult to hear, but the result was deafening, as all the students quickly settled down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now the sorting begins!” She once more brings her staff down, but this time a chair and hat appear near the front of the room. Castaspella walks over to it and explains,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you hear your name, come out of line and sit in the chair. The sorting hat will announce what House you will spend the next seven years of your life in, and then you will join the corresponding table.” She pulled the list out of thin air. The first student to be summoned was a boy with auburn hair, the hat quickly declares him a Slytherin and the table rejoices. Catra felt her nerves come back in full force. She had been distracted by the magical sights and sounds, but now remembers her crucial quest to join her family’s house. The next student called is none other than Catra’s new friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bow Arron!” Castaspella calls out with a smile on her face. The boy steps out of line and sits on the chair. He closes his eyes and the hat is dropped onto his brow. For a few seconds, everything is quiet until the hat yells,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ravenclaw!” Catra is glad that Bow gets sorted into a house he prefers. Very soon after that Glimmer is called upon. Catra notices the headmaster lean forward and Castaspella places the hat more gently onto Glimmer’s head. Minutes pass before any noise escapes the hat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a tough one, but the best house for you is… Slytherin!” The shock on Glimmer’s face is mild and quickly turns into joy. The headmaster seems less than thrilled, Catra doesn’t know why that is, but Castaspella is elated. She even jumped a little when the hat had first proclaimed it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Faces pass and the line gets shorter as children walk up, get sorted, and sit with their new house. Catra notices every now and then Adora would seem particularly interested in a student. The first time is when they call out Rogelio. He walks to the hat and is sorted into Ravenclaw. Adora visibly relaxes when he sits down at the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next time Adora tenses is when a girl named Lonnie is called and walks past them. Catra could have sworn she glared at Adora on her way to the chair. Once more the hat decides rather quickly and places the girl in Slytherin. The more students that walk to Slytherin, the more nervous Catra gets. She hopes that they don’t fill to capacity before she gets her turn, she doesn’t even know if that's possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Caterina Meowith” she blinks hard. After a few seconds pass and Catra has still yet to move Adora bumps her shoulder. Her new friend flashes her a smile and a thumbs up. Catra swallows hard but starts walking toward the hat. When she gets to the front she is entirely uneasy with every eyeball in the room on her. This doesn’t last long because the hat is lowered onto her head and over her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She can hear a voice surrounding her ears,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, well, another Meowith. I remember your father and mother very clearly. Incredibly easy to place. Oh and that sister of yours, Noelle? She holds more Slytherin cleverness and ambition than I think I have ever seen. But you? Sure you have cleverness and ambition. But do you use it for your own gain? You help others before yourself, no matter how difficult. Your heart is certainly something special. Truly noble qualities, qualities of a…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Catra almost screams, but before she could fully comprehend what the hat had said, it bellows,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hufflepuff!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra feels like she weighs a thousand pounds. As if Melog can sense her distress he circles affectionately around her feet. Professor Castaspella pulls the hat off her head and gently grabs her wrist. She puts Catra on the path toward the Hufflepuff table where she is greeted with cheers. Catra just wants to disappear, she refuses to look over at the Slytherin table where she knows her sister is sitting. Probably pitying her. The next few students go by in a haze, Catra can’t bring herself to care until she hears,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adora Weaver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl is led to the seat, just like all before her. The hat drops onto her head and over her eyes. For almost a minute Adora sits still and the hat remains silent. Catra holds a bated breath, she isn’t sure if she wants Adora to get Gryffindor. Catra didn’t get what she wanted, why should Adora? She quickly shakes her head to rid herself of those thoughts. She was just being bitter, she didn't want Adora to feel this pain. Catra feels relief when the hat yells,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gryffindor!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She expects Adora to exit the hat happily, she had gotten sorted into Gryffindor, just like she said she would. But instead, when the hat is removed Catra only sees fear and hopelessness in her eyes. Catra tries to meet Adora’s gaze, but it is trained on the floor. Like a zombie she walks over to the Gryffindor table, Catra wonders if the hat had said something to upset her? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only one student remained in line, the blonde boy the ghost had scared. Catra thought he screamed like a girl. Soon the nightmare that is the sorting ceremony will be over. Castaspella finally calls his name.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p><span>“Kyle Zabel,” Castaspella lifted the hat for the final time that evening. Kyle felt the butterflies in his chest burst out. He swore he was going to sweat through his clothes and maybe even his robes. Kyle took one step toward the chair and tripped over his cloak and onto the ground. </span><span><br/></span> <span>He could hear some students laugh at his clumsiness and others just groaned, getting irritated by the long ceremony. He stood up and brushed off his clothes. As he made his way passed the tables he saw Rogelio, Lonnie, and even Adora, all paying very close attention. This was the plan, Kyle thought. Everything had gone perfectly so far. All he needs to do is sit in the chair and get assigned Hufflepuff. </span></p><p>
  <span>He shuffled over to the seat and plopped down before he had the chance to make a bigger fool of himself. The professor lowered the hat onto his head and everything went dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hmm, loyal, humble, and helpful. All things a Hufflepuff needs to succeed. But I can see something else inside you, something buried very deep. Courage, unmatched by many others. Young Kyle, you will make a great wizard one day, and the best way to get there is by being brave and fearless…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gryffindor!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle felt faint. He looked over at his foster siblings again, shock was written on all of their faces. Only one word could describe what he was currently feeling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Never make Kyle an integral part of your evil plan. Also, did anyone notice the Mermista cameos in the last two chapters?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shadow Weaver reveals more about her plan to rule the world. The best friend squad ignores Kyle.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adora’s blood rushes to her ears. The grandeur of the festivities is completely lost on her. Magical confetti and music fill the air, but the only thing she can focus on is Kyle feebly walking toward her. Her breath comes in short bursts, she can hardly think. Kyle is a Gryffindor. The plan’s first step is a failure, and Shadow Weaver doesn’t accept failure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle finally makes it to the table, cheers surrounding him. Students clap his shoulders and ruffle his hair. Adora and Kyle lock gazes, and she feels the pit in her stomach grow. Adora sees tears begin to well in the corners of his eyes. After a few more congratulations Kyle is pushed into the open seat directly next to Adora. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She notices he is shaking and breathing very quickly. She understands why.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shadow Weaver stands in front of the four children. The foster siblings sit on the floor of Shadow Weaver’s personal study, a room that is usually restricted to them. They are only ever allowed in there when it has to do with very sensitive information. Adora can feel the immense amount of magical shields protecting this single room. She knows whatever Shadow Weaver is about to tell them is of utmost importance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In a few months, you will be dispatched to Hogwarts. The beginning of the end for those fools,” she paces and laughs evilly. “I will dismantle the unjust core of Hogwarts, brick by brick if I must. And after I have the school in the palm of my hand, I will reshape the world in my image.” Adora shivers as the room darkens and chills with each word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The wizarding bureaucrats have held far too much power for far too long. Muggles fight and kill each other over trivial disagreements, and we do nothing but stand back and watch. Magic could help them, but the magic is controlled by cowards. Children are forced to take up arms and the those whose job it is to protect the innocent, instead they murder them in the streets.” Adora hears Kyle whimper softly beside her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will bring order to the chaos, and magic to the muggles. I will heal what has been broken, and free those locked in chains. They will worship me, I will be a God!” She raises her arms to the ceiling and the entire room fills with a suffocating blackness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Adora closes her eyes in fear. When they open she sees the shadows on the walls slither back to Weaver. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Each of you will infiltrate one of the four houses. Rogelio will find the secrets of Hogwart’s defenses, this information is entrusted to house Ravenclaw. Lonnie will join Slytherin and use their natural selfishness to drive a wedge between the houses. Ever since I was banished, Slytherins have been kept on a tight leash, the Headmaster is terrified they might discover their true power and overwhelm her. Hogwarts is at its most vulnerable when they fight amongst themselves and Slytherins are less likely to come to the defense of the school if they realize just how unfairly they are being treated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hufflepuffs feel a need to help everyone, and when Kyle tells them of our righteous plan they will come to our aid. They will grow loyal to me.” She suddenly turned to look at Adora. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My perfect Adora, you are brave and just. The only house for you is Gryffindor. You will attend classes, learn to control your unimaginable power, and grow strong. You will show them the light, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>will lead the battle when the time comes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>will save the world.” Shadow Weaver stalks toward her prodigy. Adora feels her muscles tense as her body is magically lifted from the ground. She now hovers a few feet in the air, eye level with her adoptive mother. Shadow Weaver grips her chin, forcing their eyes to meet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is your destiny.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The headmaster’s commanding voice breaks through the celebration and Adora’s memories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please mingle and feast. Enjoy tonight, for classes begin tomorrow.” Once more the grand hall fills with hoots and hollers. Adora had never before witnessed this echoing feeling of prideful fury. As she looks around Adora sees smiles and gestures of casual generosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upperclassmen pass desserts and fizzy drinks to the first years. Suddenly a plate of food piled up to her chest sits before her. Kyle is handed a party popper and bowl of chocolate ice cream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora’s internal despair seems misplaced amongst the palpable joy of the room. Kyle turns toward her, he speaks softly but Adora manages to hear him over the roar of students.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s she going to do with me?” Adora’s eyes fall back down to her lap. They both know what Shadow Weaver does with the people who fail her. Before she can give Kyle an answer, an older Gryffindor grasps both of their shoulders and bellows out a genuine laugh,</span>
</p><p><span>“Eat, my young friends! You’re among the luckiest tonight, you’ve been selected to become Gryffindors!” Kyle and Adora share a worried glance. “The undisputed best house in all of Hogwarts, fearlessly led by none other than the mighty Sea Hawk!” He flexes his arms in a few different positions and Adora very clearly hears an “Oh </span><em><span>God</span></em><span>”</span> <span>come from the Ravenclaw table. </span></p><p>
  <span>He leans back down towards them and studies their expression. His smile falls when he notices Adora and Kyle share unsettled grimaces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, I don’t think I’ve ever seen two first years so upset with getting Gryffindor. What houses did you want to be sorted into?” He first directs the question at Kyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I thought I would go to Hufflepuff,” Kyle stammers. Sea Hawk looks surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, ok. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they wanted Hufflepuff over Gryffindor before, but there's a first time for everything. How about you miss?” He asks while stroking his thin mustache. Adora fiddles with her hands but answers, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gryffindor.” Sea Hawk throws his hands up in defeat and starts walking away from them. They can hear him mumble under his breath in annoyance,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t understand the youths anymore.” Kyle and Adora share a glance and suddenly break into a fit of giggles. Adora thinks she should take advantage of the feast laid out in front of her, the only thing she had eaten today was a handful of jelly beans. This thought provokes Adora to stand and search for the friends she had made on the train. She spots Glimmer huddled between Castaspella, the Headmaster, and another professor. She seemed to be in a rather heated argument. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora also can see Bow surrounded by other Ravenclaws. He is holding up something that looked suspiciously like a pen, but a few of the students seem engrossed with what he had to say about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Her last friend could easily be seen, as she was being lifted into the air by an enormous Hufflepuff girl. She swayed as she held onto the small girl, who seemed to be desperately trying to escape the hug. This made Adora chuckle. She knew Catra was upset with her placing, but hopefully, she would grow to love it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On her quest to find her friends she also caught the eye of Lonnie, who scowled at her. Adora was lost, she knew there was nothing she could do to stop Shadow Weaver. The information was sure to reach her soon, she has spies all throughout the wizarding world. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sits back down with Kyle and grips his hand under the table. Kyle is surprised by this and practically jumps. She waits until he is calm, and then whispers,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure what she will do, but I’ll help you any way I can. We’re family.” She gives the hand in hers a squeeze and then releases it. Kyle smiles softly and nods, there was nothing they could do right now, so they might as well try to enjoy the party. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the night was filled with singing, eating, and laughing. Adora and Kyle had tried to participate but were often distracted by their looming fate. Eventually, the professors left the hall, and soon after the prefects led their first years to the dorms. Adora didn’t see her friends again that night. She found her suitcase at the foot of a bed in the girl’s quarters. The prefect told her that Swiftwind was taken to live in the Owlery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She quickly got ready for sleep and changed into her nightwear. It didn’t take long, just a quick shower and a brush of her teeth. She headed back to the room, the other girls were still in the bathrooms when she slid into bed. The day had been exhausting, in both good and bad ways. Shadow Weaver’s plans filled her mind as she drifted to sleep. Tomorrow she would focus on getting stronger, maybe if she can do that Shadow Weaver won’t be as mad at Kyle, she thought. Only the future will tell.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Breakfast at Hogwarts was just as grand as the dinner the night before had been. Adora was one of the first awake and in the great hall. She was used to waking up before the sun to practice magic. The only other Gryffindor at the table was Kyle. The bags under his eyes make Adora think he hardly slept. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s in the middle of her third muffin when an owl flies through the window and drops a letter on Kyle’s plate. It splashes in his oatmeal before he manages to fish it out. He carefully holds it with one hand away from his body. He shakes it free of the oats and opens the seal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora watches Kyle as he reads it, his body unbelievably tense. Adora thinks a moderate gust of wind could have knocked him down. After a few minutes, Adora grows curious,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What's it say?” she prods. Kyle shakes himself a little and hands the letter to Adora. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kyle,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You have been nothing but a failure for all the time you have managed to exist. You continuously fail every test, trial, and responsibility I place onto you. I would be a fool to not put a contingency plan in place for your failure, although even I would have never predicted this particular outcome. I believed it would be more probable you would have simply drowned in the lake on your way to the castle. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I will give you one more order. If you fail this time I will not be so kind. Cater to Adora, do whatever she requests of you and you shall be left alive. If she needs to practice her spells, you will be the target. If she needs a paper written, it will be you on the quill. Do </span>
  </em>
  <span>not </span>
  <em>
    <span>disappoint me. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>- Weaver</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora lets out a low whistle, that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>rough</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But not nearly as bad as it could have been. She looks over at Kyle, who again has tears in his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It could be worse?” Adora tries to reason. “I’m not actually going to cast spells on you, I’m not a monster.” Kyle looks a bit ashamed for thinking that she maybe would have had him do all that. Adora takes out her wand and makes a motion with her wrist,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Incendio</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she whispers as the letter quickly disappears into flames. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, how did you do that?!” Adora whips her head to face the familiar voice. Bow’s mouth is open and Glimmer’s eyes widen. Adora shrugs,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magic? You know, the thing we’re here to study?” Adora doesn’t know what the big deal is, this is one of the easiest spells she knows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We haven't even been to class yet and you're already using your wand. I don’t think we’re supposed to do that.” Glimmer added. Behind Glimmer’s shoulder, Adora spots Catra and the familiar, large Hufflepuff girl follows behind her. Catra also spots her and starts moving toward the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh Catra, are these your first-year friends? They are soooo cute!” The girl behind Catra gushes. She has short white hair and stands noticeably taller than everyone else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone, this is Scorpia, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>refuses </span>
  </em>
  <span>to leave me alone.” Catra huffs and sits down next to Adora. The yellow of Catra’s uniform proves a stark contrast from her drab mood. Glimmer crosses her arms and smirk forms on her face,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Catra…” Catra puts up a single finger to stop the girl, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Glimmer stops in the middle of her sentence and rolls her eyes. She also sits down at the table and starts collecting breakfast items. They all knew what Glimmer was about to say, even though she didn’t get all the words out. Adora wonders how Catra is feeling about not getting into Slytherin but knows better than to ask now. Avoiding the topic altogether, Bow pulls out a paper from his bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s everyone’s schedule? Today I’ve got charms, transfiguration, and flying lessons.” He lays the paper on the table for all to see. Catra follows suit and layers her own schedule next to Bow’s. She raises her eyebrow at the similarities.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, why do we have the exact same schedule?” Adora quickly scans her own, searching for any differences. All three schedules were identical, down to the professor. Bow looks suspiciously at Glimmer,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glimmer, did you have anything to do with this?” The girl stutters for a few seconds and eventually lets out a defeated sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, fine, yes I may have had some say in the scheduling. Mom thought maybe I was upset at getting placed in Slytherin so she said she would try to get some of my friends into the same classes as me. I didn’t think she would make our schedules identical!” Adora feels her stomach drop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Glimmer, who exactly is your mom?” Glimmer scratches the back of her head and says,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Angella Brightmoon? The Headmaster,” Adora and Kyle share a stunned glance at each other. Angella Brightmoon was the one responsible for Shadow Weaver’s banishment. Adora felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t count the times Shadow Weaver had ranted about the Headmaster, always followed by an explosive burst of dark magic. Adora had no misgivings with what Shadow Weaver would do to her if given the chance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow, out of all the students at Hogwarts, she had befriended her adoptive mother’s greatest enemy’s daughter. No one else noticed the Gryffindors’ great discomfort. The friends chatted and ate their first breakfast at Hogwarts. Adora couldn't help but think all of this seemed too good to be true. She finally had friends, all the food she could eat, and what seemed to be a bright future ahead. She would do her best to fulfill her promises to Shadow Weaver and do what she could for the cause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was having trouble putting last night out of her mind. The sorting hat had spent quite some time on her head, but not in deliberation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Adora, I wondered when I would meet you. I knew your mother, she possessed the same great power that flows through you now. You are very much like her, brave, loyal, but scared.” Adora blinked hard, she asked,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shadow Weaver?” The hat chuckled slightly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, I knew her too. But when I first met her she went by Light Spinner. She let power corrupt her. Adora, you have a great destiny ahead of you. You will fight for what you know is right, you will save the world. And because of that, there's only one place for you…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just to make this clear, Shadow Weaver does not actually care about anyone and is just using other people's sense of justice to grab more power.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Ringer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adora's got mad skills, and they meet a new character with a grand entrance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Catra follows Glimmer as she leads them through hallways and up moving stairs. She wonders how any normal person would navigate this castle and considers herself lucky to have met the two dorks leading the way. She had managed to shake off Scorpia after breakfast, she was a third-year so at least they wouldn't share any classes. The girl had hardly left Catra alone since she first hugged her after the sorting ceremony. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was still getting used to the idea of actually being a Hufflepuff. She knew her older siblings would laugh when they found out, and she dreaded breaking the news to her father. Surely Noelle had already sent the family a letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every time Catra thought about Noelle her temper rose. Even the freaking sorting hat had told her Noelle was better than her. Catra thinks she should avoid her for as long as possible. She has nothing to say to her sister.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of letting her mind fester, she pulls out her schedule and mulls over today’s classes. Catra is not thrilled about starting the day with Charms, she had never been naturally good with magic, and she definitely hasn’t opened the book for the class yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembers this is the class Professor Castaspella teaches and internally groans. Before the sorting ceremony, she had mentioned that they were her favorite students, but Catra didn’t think this would count for much. Maybe she might go easier on Glimmer or Bow, but she hardly knew Catra. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks over at the girl walking next to her, at least Adora is in the same boat as her. She didn’t have any wizarding family teaching at the school, or at least she hadn’t mentioned it. Catra notices the red and gold tie sitting neatly around her neck. Catra’s own is undone, she was rushing this morning and couldn’t be bothered to figure out how to tie it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reach the classroom with time to spare and are able to find seats next to each other. There were two rows of benches lining the room, and Bow insisted they all sit in the front. Professor Castaspella, who had been magically directing a piece of chalk across the blackboard, walks over to the group. She has a bright smile on her face, and she claps her hands excitedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glimmer, you have no idea how long I have awaited this day. I can finally show you the wonders of charm!” Catra suddenly feels her schedule shake in her pocket. Bow’s own paper vibrates right off the table, and onto the floor. “Oh, that means it is time to start class. Alright, students find your seats!” She turned back to the front of the room and began the class. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am sure each and every one of you has read our textbook, The Standard Book of Spells Volume I, cover to cover by now?” Catra felt her stomach drop. No one had told her she was supposed to have studied the entire course before even entering the classroom. She's sure she wouldn't have done it anyway, but it would have been nice to know. Castaspella looks around the room at the shocked faces of her students and puzzles, “Hmm, that one used to get a big laugh, maybe I’m losing my touch?” Realizing she was only joking most of the students let out a relieved sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Today we will begin with some practical magic to get you all excited for your first full day at Hogwarts. Please open your books to page 23, we will be practicing Lumos.” A loud thunk echoed in the classroom as twenty kids dropped their books onto their desks at the same time. Catra quickly flicked to page 23. She skipped over the history of the spell, the common uses, and common mistakes to avoid, and went directly to how to cast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pulled her wand from her bag and saw Adora pull hers from a secret robe pocket. She couldn’t help but compare her red oak wand to the blonde’s lighter, and longer wand. While Catra was still deciding how to grasp hers, Adora looked confident and practiced in her hold. She wonders if maybe Adora </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>read the entire book during the summer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Start practicing the spell, and don’t be discouraged if it takes a few tries,” Castaspella announces and begins to walk around the room, correcting pronunciations and wrist motions. Catra takes a deep breath, steadies her wand, and begins to say the spell, but before she can, she notices a blinding light just to her left. She hadn’t even heard Adora cast the spell, but her wand was now coated with a blue magical light. The entire class turns to see who had been successful already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, someone has been reading ahead. Great job Adora!” Castaspella coos. She turns back to help the students in front of her. Catra spins to look at Adora, who had sequestered the light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you do that?” Catra openly gawks. The taller girl shrugs and just points to the textbook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just followed the instructions. Wave your wand like this,” She draws in a circular motion, “and speak clearly,  </span>
  <em>
    <span>lumos</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Suddenly Adora’s wand lights once more. Catra looks at her own hand and begins, she tries to follow the outline Adora had demonstrated and speaks clearly “lumos.” Her wand sputters for a moment but does not light. Catra tries again and again until she is huffing, half with fatigue, half with rage. She's shaking her wand like a glowstick when Adora grips her wrist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Catra, it's ok. I didn’t get it on the first try either.” Cara pulls her arm out of Adora’s grasp and hisses,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just did, you lit up the whole room. Everyone saw.” Adora looks a bit ashamed and flustered, as if she had said something she had not meant to. She stutters a little before bestowing a bit more advice onto Catra,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It helps me to think I’m stuck in a really dark room, and the walls are closing in and the only way to find my way out is to make a light.” Adora closes her eyes and her brow furrows. Catra notices she trembles a bit as she lifts her wand at the ceiling and mumbles the spell. The wand releases a grand brightness that rises from Adora’s hand and lifts to the ceiling, producing blinding results. Catra has to look away, and the classroom stills as everyone turns to look at the girl next to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora opens her eyes and sees the stunned reactions. She promptly releases the spell and the room darkens to its normal dimness. Castaspella walks over to their table and quickly closes Adora’s open textbook.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, maybe thats enough magic for you today?” She also takes Adora’s wand from her hand and turns it closely in front of her eyes, inspecting it for some sort of impairment. When she finds nothing blatantly wrong she hands it back to Adora, but gives her a curious glance. Adora’s eyes fall to her own lap and it's obvious she is a bit embarrassed by the spectacle she produced. When the professor finally walks across the room to inspect the other students, Catra looks to Adora. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This unsuspecting girl seems to be more than meets the eye. Catra shakes off the thoughts and once more focuses on the spell. She does as Adora had said and closes her eyes, and thinks as if she is in a dark room, the walls very much </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>closing in on her. She thinks that would just make her even more nervous than she currently is. Catra feels the need for light and waves her wand while reciting the spell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she lets an eye squint open she sees the faint white light at the tip of her wand. It may have been incomparable to Adora’s but she felt an immense amount of pride swell in her. She looks to her left and Adora is smiling kindly at her. Bow and Glimmer are both still trying, and failing the casting. Catra waves the glowing wand to catch their attention, and maybe also to brag a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer huffs and begins waving her wand even more erratically, while Bow’s eyes follow the shimmering light and he congratulates her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow that's so cool, you're both really good at all this stuff.” Catra lost her concentration and the spell shriveled out of existence. Catra might have performed one spell, but she didn’t think she was “really good” at anything magical. The class ended not too long after, and Professor Castaspella assigned them chapters two and three for homework. The group rushed out of charms and directly for their next class, transfiguration. They sat down in their seats and waited for the professor to appear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glimmer, who is the new transfiguration professor, my dad wouldn’t tell me.” Bow casually inquiries. Glimmer shakes her head in response,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom wouldn’t tell me either, maybe it's supposed to be a surprise?”Just then the door bursts open to reveal none other than the Headmaster herself. Catra sensed Adora sink into her seat as the powerful witch strutted towards the students. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Students, starting today I will be the new Transfiguration Professor!” She flashes a bright smile. Glimmer seems visibly confused, this only grows when her mother quickly shifts into a man that seemed familiar to Catra. He has black hair and a greying beard. Loud gasps echoed the classroom as the self-declared professor in the middle of the room changed faces. From the man to Castaspella, to a student sitting in the first row.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The said student promptly fainted, this resulted in the Professor changing faces one more time. They stood taller than Catra but seemed to be young. Their skin was tinted green and their ears stood pointed, much like a pixie’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh dear, yeah this usually happens. You think I’d learn my lesson by now, but I just can </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>resist a grand entrance.” The professor said smugly. They pulled their wand from their boot and motioned at the boy,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Rennervate.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>The boy awakened so quickly he barely missed hitting his head under his desk. The students near him helped him back into his chair as the professor made their way to the center of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra noticed the floor in this classroom was lined in a red carpet that seemed to move under the professor’s step. Ensuring they would never scuff their heels on the rough ground. Beside her, Catra could hear Bow shuffling through one of his many already filled notebooks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bet they are a metamorphmagus!” The teacher clearly could hear the excited boy and replies,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is absolutely right young man. Ten points to Ravenclaw! Oh wow, I have </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted to say that.” They covered their mouth as they giggled. “I was a student, like all of you just a few years ago. Transfiguration was always my favorite class because I never had to study! As a metamorphmagus I am naturally gifted at assuming other people’s appearance and through my love of drama I am able to perfectly replicate them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This sounded a little like an invasion of privacy to Catra, nevertheless, she was very intrigued. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the rest of you, transfiguration will be very difficult, I do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>envy you.” Catra thinks this is an odd method of teaching, and it was putting Catra’s nerves even more on end. The rest of the class was particularly boring. Their professor, who demanded to be called DT, made them read chapter one of their book and practice wand movements without performing any actual spells. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Catra was bored, she thought Adora must have been practically asleep. The more Catra thought about the charms lesson, the more convinced she was that this was not Adora’s first brush with performing spells with a wand. The girl beside her now held her wand with one hand, practicing the motions, and in the other had a half-eaten muffin she must have grabbed from breakfast. Catra playfully scoffs at the girl, Adora certainly is small for someone who will surely be the reason Hogwarts discontinues the buffet-style to prevent going out of business.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After what feels like hours, DT finally releases the students and tells them to study up on their next lesson. The friends follow the stream of students to the great hall for lunch. Adora gets ahead of them a bit and secures them a table, near the desserts. During the sorting ceremony, the room had been filled by four long tables, one for each house. Since then, in collaboration with the Headmaster’s message of mixing the houses, the tables had been replaced with twenty tables of varying sizes with no house affiliation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They each grab a plate, Adora grabs two, and they sit together at a small table in the corner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t believe we’re here, it's like a dream.” Glimmer sighs and her eyes flutter. Bow shakes his head in agreement, his mouth is filled with pudding. Catra huffs,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you two like, live here?” Glimmer rolls her eyes,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes technically I live here, Bow just visits a lot. But it's different than before. I’m finally allowed to use magic, and I have real responsibilities now! We're like real witches.” Bow interjects,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And wizards.” He points to himself. The group laughs together until the gravity of the day crashes onto Catra. She suddenly isn't a kid anymore that can make silly mistakes with little to no consequences. Her actions could hurt someone, her magic could be dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks to her side, at someone who’s magic is already more dangerous than her’s. Adora giggles and smiles with everyone else, but Catra notices she doesn’t give in to the bliss completely. She always seems to be ready for something unexpected. She always kept her wand in her pocket, instead of her bag, like most students decided to do. And when the Hogwarts intruder alarm sounded she was the first on her feet, wand in her hand, eyes scanning the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra took a few seconds to realize what was happening, but Glimmer and Bow seemed prepared for a moment like this. Glimmer grabbed Catra’s hand and led her to a side door off the great hall. Bow and Adora follow close behind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is going on!” Catra loudly inquired. Bow put a finger to his lips and hushed her. The sirens grew louder and the commotion of children in panic intensified. After a few seconds of silence between them, Glimmer finally answered Catra,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There's a dark wizard in the castle.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Intruder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A dark wizard sneaks into Hogwarts and steals a frog.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The alarm blares loudly in Adora’s ears, and the walls around them reverberate. It is as if the school itself is horribly angry and groaning in outrage. It rings in increments of three, Glimmer had decoded this as what she had called “code black.” The girl had pulled them to a side hallway and into an empty classroom, decorated with shiny yet dusted trinkets. Bow looks at Glimmer, fear in his voice,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Glimmer, we’re supposed to go to our dorms when an alarm sounds, not in the old enchantment room!” Surrounding the students were what looked like old or ancient magical artifacts. The labels on each item indicated the enchantments they carried. Adora could read the plaque under a silver goblet, </span>
  <em>
    <span>cup of fire- the consumer of any liquid from this goblet will be set ablaze. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Behind her she could spot a broom labeled, </span>
  <em>
    <span>broom of fear- attacks any who shout the word “fear”. </span>
  </em>
  <span>All the items followed a similar trend of being undisputedly magical, but also incredibly niche. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Think about it Bow! We’re each in a different house, and there's no way I’m letting them split us up.” She grabs onto his arm and pulls him into a scared hug. Bow turns to look at Catra,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra, the Hufflepuff common room is the closest, do you think they’ll let us in?” She purses her lips and lets out a sign. While avoiding eye contact she admits,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I wasn’t really paying attention when they told us the password. I don’t know how to get in.” Bow, who was usually calm and collected, raises his arms in frustration as Glimmer groans into his robes. He begins to pace when Adora sees shoes stop in front of the classroom door. She brandishes her wand and stands in front of the group. This quickly grabs everyone’s attention and they immediately grow still. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door slowly squeaks open and a man wearing a black suit walks inside. His neat and unscuffed shoes squeak on the stone floor. With each step he takes into the room, the more features Adora is able to make out. His black hair is slicked against his head, and boxed glasses rest on his nose. He does not turn to inspect the room, and instead, he makes a beeline for the corner of the room labeled “expired”.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora had never seen this man before in her life but had met enough of his kind to know exactly what he was. He made no motion to indicate he had seen the students. It was very dim in the room and they now had their backs against the wall the door had opened from. But he would surely see them when he turned to leave. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walks forward and begins to inspect the useless enchantments. Behind her, Adora can hear Glimmer’s rapid breathing and willed her to be quiet. She feels a hand touch her elbow and turns to see Catra. She had pulled her wand out of her own bag and moved forward to wield it like Adora was currently doing. Adora shakes her head no, she doesn’t want Catra to get hurt in a fight she could easily win by herself. During her training sessions with Shadow Weaver she regularly dispatched her shadows very easily, often more than one at a time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra makes no motion to put away her wand, Adora didn’t think she would. Catra did not seem the type to take orders. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes once more trained on the man, who had picked up a small frog statue and turned it over him in his grasp. This appeared to be what he was searching for, quickly he turned to leave. His eyes widen when he sees the students huddled against the wall. He pulls his wand from his belt, but before he can cast anything Adora flicks her wrist and shouts </span>
  <em>
    <span>lumos. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Just like in charms, the entire room lights up, more thoroughly exposing the man’s appearance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blinks quickly to try to regain his sight after being blinded. Adora hears her friends gasp as they too notice the man’s eyes are nothing more than caverns filled with shadows. Like dusk to dawn, the darkness shies away from Adora’s beam of light. Once he fully regains his sight he brandishes his wand at Adora, but hesitates, and then lowers his arm. The man finally tucks the wand back into his belt and breaks into a run, leaving the students alone. Adora lets her light dim a bit, but uses it to direct her over to the plaque of the statue he had grabbed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Toad of double enchanting- lets the user enchant an enchantment- out of uses. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adora wonders what Shadow Weaver wanted this for, but is pulled from her thoughts when Glimmer lets out a single sob. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He could have killed us! Adora, you saved our lives.” Glimmer throws her arms around Adora’s torso and Bow quickly joins the hug. Catra doesn’t join but seems visibly relieved, yet confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora only shone a light in his eyes, he would have killed us if he really wanted, no offense,” Catra ponders. They don’t get much of a chance to talk more about it before Professor Castaspella barges into the room, her wand is directed at the students and she looks ready to attack. When she determines there is no obvious threat, she quickly lowers her stance and moves toward the children.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been tracking the dark-wizard, my spell indicates he was in here.” Her eyes widen and she envelopes Glimmer in a protective embrace. “Are you kids alright? You weren’t in here with them, were you?” The students nod in affirmation. Castaspella directs them out of the classroom and up a spiral staircase.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The stairs creak with each step and they barely get away without bashing their heads on the next level of spirals. They climb up and up until it opens into a small hallway. On the door rests a painting of what looks to be a purple egg resting on a golden display stand. The picture does not move like most art in the wizarding world but instead glows dimly. Castaspella whispers a passcode and the door swings open, revealing an office. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sitting in the large desk chair, arguing with a man, is the Headmaster. They arrive just in time to hear the end of the altercation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How could she have gotten past the defenses? Micah, we have a duty to protect these students, we can’t let this happen.” Glimmer’s mom admonishes. The man, Micah, rests his hand on her shoulder and explains,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When we let the students in yesterday we had to lower some defenses to allow the boats to cross the lake and for the train to enter the estate. We do this every year, they must have viewed this as an opportunity to infiltrate the castle. Do not worry, they may have gotten in, but they are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>getting out.” Castaspella clears her throat and the two adults turn to look at who had interrupted them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was tracking the wizard which led me to the Artifacts of the Past room, where I found Glimmer and her friends.” The headmaster stood from her seat and quickly made her way over to her daughter.  She inspected her head to toe, and when nothing seemed to be out of place she hugged her deeply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh Glimmah, are you alright? You could have been hurt, what were you doing in there?” Glimmer pushed herself out of the embrace and tried to explain,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were at lunch and the alarm went off. Everyone was panicking so I tried to hide us, it's not my fault it was the one room in the whole castle he went in. No one ever goes in there!” She huffs, her fear had seemingly worn off. Micah steps forward toward Castaspella,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was it the good Artifacts of the Past room or the bad one?” Castaspella sighs and shakes her head,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There is no good or bad room, those artifacts are what is left of ancient magical civilizations throughout the centuries. They give us insight on our ancestors and we are extremely lucky to be able to study them.” Micah tilts his head and squints his eyes a bit. Castaspella lets out a defeated groan and responds, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The bad one.” Micah begins to pace about the room, one hand on his chin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There's nothing but useless crap in there, what could he have possibly taken? Castaspella, did you manage to see what he stole?” Micah asked the charms professor. She shook her head, she had been too worried about the children’s safety to spend any more time in the room than she had needed to. Adora steps forward and speaks up,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He took the Toad of Double Enchanting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can any of you describe the wizard you saw?” The students tried to explain, but found the words dying on their tongues. Whatever illusionary spell he was covered in made it very difficult to recall accurate details. They remembered he was a man, he was wearing a suit, and his eyes were filled with shadows. At that last admission, the adults in the room looked at each other, fear written on their faces. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something seems to click in both Micah and the Headmaster’s head, as they both shout at the same time,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The mirror!” They both instantaneously vanish. The headmaster leaves a flash of light while Micah evaporates in a thin fog. Professor Castaspella grumbles something about having to babysit while they get to save the castle and then leads the students to the Hufflepuff common room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will be safe here, just stay out of trouble.” She continues out of the room, and thanks the Hufflepuff prefect that had opened the door. The Hufflepuff common room is filled with students wearing yellow and black uniforms. The fire roars but lets off no heat, and the chairs seem to sink comfortably when a student sits in them. Adora is busy examining her new surroundings when someone comes up behind them and pulls Catra off the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wildcat, I was so worried when the alarm set off and I couldn’t find you anywhere, you’re supposed to come to the common room.” Scorpia hugged her like her life depended on it, and Catra struggled to escape the grasp. Eventually, the large girl dropped her friend and peered over at the non-Hufflepuffs beside her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you so much for keeping my Catra safe!” She moves on to her next strangling victim and grips Bow by the shoulders. He coughs a few times but generally seems to enjoy the girl’s affection. Bow thanks her but says,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should really be thanking Adora, she's the one who drove the dark wizard away!” This gained the whole room’s attention. Adora turned red as the Hufflepuffs cheered and interrogated the first year. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What spell did you use?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did they look like?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did they use any unforgivable curses?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before she can be surrounded by praising students, Catra takes her hand and starts up the stairs. Adora looks over her shoulder to see that Bow had escaped from Scorpia, and he and Glimmer bound up the stairs behind her. They pass a few doors on the second floor of the dorms before they come to a stop. Catra reaches into her pocket and pulls out a golden key. After a moment, she pushes the door open and ushers her friends inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora observes what she assumes is Catra’s room. There were two single beds, each on the opposite end of the room. Only one side had been decorated with posters, pictures, and general junk. Adora’s own room was perfectly clean, it had only been the second day, but Catra’s was incredibly messy. Books scattered on the floor, and her clothes were unfolded on her bed. Melog slept, snuggled in a Slytherin hoodie. Glimmer closed the door behind her and took in the room with a grimace on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, this is horrible. How does your roommate feel about this mess?” Glimmer openly judged. Catra did not seem offended and just shrugged,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t have a roommate, there was an odd number of girls and no one seemed to want to room with the grumpy Hufflepuff. But I like it, I’ve never had a room to myself before. Now I can really spread out, and no one will interrupt me when I’m studying.” She displayed her statement by climbing on the bed, jumping once, and landing on her back. Glimmer pulls out Catra’s desk chair and wipes off some imaginary dust before sitting down. Adora climbs onto the bed and sits next to prone Catra. Bow seems content to stand and lean against Catra’s bedpost. After a minute of heavy silence Bow started the much needed conversation,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, what happened down there?” Glimmer shook her head but answered,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen my parents that upset before, and what mirror were they talking about? And what is a frog going to do to it?” Catra pushes herself up on her elbows and joined the conversation,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, what did the frog thing even do?” Adora thinks back to the inscription she had read,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It said it could enchant an enchantment, but that it was out of uses.” Bow suddenly moved to pull something from his bag. A book entitled “Enchantments for Dummies” was plopped down on Catra’s bed and Bow flipped through the pages. He suddenly stopped and held the page up,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This says that an enchanted item can be imbued with more magical enchanting energy using an enchantment stone, but only first ones can make them so they are extraordinarily rare now.” Adora wouldn’t put it past Shadow Weaver to have somehow gotten hold of such a powerful artifact. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, so let's just get this straight. This dark wizard used an enchantment stone to enchant a frog statue that has the power to re-enchant an existing enchantment? That's beyond dumb.” Catra huffs and allows herself to fall back onto the bed. Melog pounces onto her chest and paws at some of Catra’s stray hairs. Bow speaks up with an addition,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t forget, Glimmer’s parents think he's going to use it on some mirror here at the school. Probably an enchanted mirror if we follow the trail of enchantments.” Glimmer stands and begins to pace, occasionally kicking some of Catra’s books. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never once heard my parents talk about any mirror, I hope they are able to stop whatever he’s doing.” All this time they had been talking, the Hogwarts defense alarm had remained on, but now it finally stopped. They exited Catra’s room and filed into the common room. The prefect spoke loudly,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve just gotten an update, the wizard has been found,” loud cheers erupted from the small crowd, “and the rest of classes for the day have been canceled.” The celebration grew even louder at this news. Adora herself had been looking forward to their last activity of the day, flying lessons. She understood why they had to postpone though, as far as she could recall there hadn’t been a break in to the castle in a great number of years. If this had anything to do with Shadow Weaver, the professors should be scared, Adora knew she was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Flying High</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The best friend squad attends their first flying lesson and the plot thickens.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Catra woke with a gasp, there had been something furry laying on her face, slowly suffocating her. She groans and pushes Melog off of her and begins to roll to her side. The cat rebounds quickly and jumps on her hip. She can feel his little paws navigate to rest on her shoulder. Catra thinks for a moment that she’s really glad to have Melog on this journey with her, then he loudly meows in her ear and she's suddenly not as grateful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She covers her ear with a hand to keep out the intrusive feline shaped alarm clock. A sharp pain in her finger causes her to jump. Melog meows once more, seemingly saying,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Get up, you can’t miss your second day of school</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She inspects the bite mark with frustration. It hasn't broken skin but she is starting to wish she had chosen an animal companion with duller canines. Catra finally gives in to Melog’s demands and hops down from her roost.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She seriously considers fixing the comforter and making the bed, the disheveled blankets no longer match the messiness of the rest of the room. Glimmer and Bow had refused to go back to their own dorms before they cleaned up Catra’s personal tornado. Her books were now lined on her desk, alphabetically sorted, and her clothes are neatly folded in drawers. They defended their actions by saying the group would probably be hanging out in this dorm room more than any of the others. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slytherins don’t take kindly to others knowing how to get into their inner sanctuary. Glimmer even said that in recent years they had taken to changing the password every few weeks. Catra thinks that seems a bit paranoid, but she also isn’t complaining about keeping away from the Slytherins. She still has yet to see her sister, and desperately wants to keep it that way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knew Noelle would have countless prefect duties with all that was going on, from the first year move-ins, and now the dark wizard. But as soon as she was free of her duties, she would be looking for Catra. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was some deliberation about using Adora’s or Bow’s rooms, but those were both quickly disqualified as well. Adora shared her room with three other first years and Bow said his room smelled like boy. They had all agreed that it was a deal-breaker. Catra begrudgingly tucks in the sheets and pulls the comforter up to the pillows. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She quickly facilitates her morning routine and dresses in her uniform. She isn’t sure she will ever get used to the yellow and black stripes covering her outfit and swears she’ll be the first to be attacked if they ever come across a crazed beehive. She tugs the tie over her neck and stands in front of the full-length mirror. She would never admit it to anyone, but she did kind of like the color contrast against her blue eye. It was very striking, and hopefully a little intimidating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She still has no idea how to tie a knot and thinks about asking Adora for help. Her necktie was always pristine. Catra’s cheeks grow red at the thought of Adora’s hands so close to her face. Maybe she wouldn’t ask, she didn’t want to come off as uncool and needy. Who wants to be friends with someone who needs help getting in a rowboat and can’t even tie a knot? Catra thinks, certainly not Adora. She hadn’t needed any help, not even when she was facing a dark wizard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora reminds Catra of Noelle on some levels. Magic seems to come naturally to her, and she is powerful like her sister. She's sure Adora will get top marks and even has the potential to one day become a prefect. It's the differences between them that draws Catra to Adora. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Where Noelle uses her magic whenever she has the chance and is quick to show off, Adora is very reserved with it, almost as if it is a closely held secret. Noelle’s innate abilities had propelled her past her friends and improved her personal standing. Adora had helped Catra when she was scared of the water, had waited for them at the top of the stairs leading to the sorting ceremony, and taught Catra how to cast lumos in charms. She defended her friends from the wizard, where Catra was sure Noelle would have positioned herself for the best attack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra hadn’t had many friends in her life but was sure she wanted Adora to be her friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She packs away the books she needs for the day and pats Melog on the head before she leaves the room. The Hufflepuff common room flows to the hallway just a few bounds away from the great room and kitchens, making it very easy to sneak in the occasional midnight snack. It only takes a few seconds before she finds her friends sitting together at a table near the middle of the room. She quickly closes in and plops down in the seat next to Adora. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once again her plate is filled with practically every option available. Catra inspects the plate and grabs a few pieces of bacon and a peach. The betrayal on Adora’s face makes Catra chuckle, the taller girl objects to Catra’s crimes,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I was going to eat that.” She tries to grab the fruit back from Catra’s hand, but the smaller girl moves too quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you eat that entire plate, you will die.” She takes a large bite of the peach in defiance. Adora just rolls her eyes and continues on her edible conquest. Bow eyes the overfilled plate and adds,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think Catra might be right, they rescheduled our flying lessons for first thing today and I don’t think throwing up on Coach Huntara will make a great first impression.” Adora slows down and lets out a disappointed sigh. She pushes the plate away from her and crosses her arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The energy of the table is palpable, everyone is excited to fly. Catra had never used a broomstick before, but she hopes it is as fun as it looks. She and her father would often spend afternoons yelling at the television and cheering for their favorite team, the Falmouth Falcons. It had been her dream as a child to play for the Slytherin team, they have been undefeated for four years running. The exact amount of time Noelle has been the star seeker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The friends clean the table and start off toward the class. They were not actually allowed onto the quidditch field until second year, and instead had to practice on the grass hill overlooking the great lake. When they arrive they take notice of the brooms laying on the ground. Catra deduces that the large woman with the shaved head, standing apart from the students must be Coach Huntara. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She speaks in a clear booming voice,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For those of you who have never flown before, these,” and points at the equipment lying at their feet, “are broomsticks.” A few students snicker, but this very basic introduction is bound to be for the muggle-borns who had never seen a match, or even knew that wizards could fly. “Stand beside a broom and hold your dominant hand over the handle. Command it into your hand by calling it up.” She demonstrates with the one at her feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It jumps quickly into her grasp, and she throws one leg over and kicks off. Before Catra had time to blink their coach was twenty feet off the ground. Catra thinks she moves very gracefully for someone her size, she had to be almost six feet tall. She lands easily and swings the broom so it twists a few times in the air and lands in her hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The students step up beside the brooms and try to summon them to their grasps. Catra calls her broom,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Up!” The stick instantly jumps to her palm. Catra can’t keep the smile off her face, never before in her life had she been naturally gifted at anything magic related. She looks over to see how her friends are approaching the first step. Bow appears to struggle a bit, he has to call it a few times before it comes to his hand. Glimmer only has to call it twice before it jumps at her command. She sticks out her chest in satisfaction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora’s hand hovers over the broom, but it does not move when she speaks the command. She tries a few more times before she starts to get frustrated. Her hand shakes and Catra can almost swear she can hear the wood of the broom begin to splinter and creak. Catra is just about to speak up when the coach comes over to see the only student yet to complete the initial direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, there's no need to get upset, this part isn't required. It's just easier than bending down, especially when you get to my age.” The coach lets out a deep chuckle. “You can just pick it up, muggle-borns usually have trouble with this part. The rest of them have been watching quidditch since before they could sit up, there's no shame in it.” Adora lets out a relieved breath and bends down to grab the broom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra hadn’t ever thought that Adora might be muggle-born, but it does explain some of her more interesting questions. Now that the coach mentions it, Catra thinks Adora does seem pretty sheltered, even if her magic was powerful. She hadn’t shown a strong grasp on wizarding culture. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Adora leans down to physically grab the broom, Catra hears snickers coming from a Slytherin first year in the class. She thinks she remembers her from the sorting ceremony, and that her name is Lonnie. Catra tries to meet her eyes and glares at the girl for mocking Adora. The coach stalks before them and bestows more advice to her students,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now straddle the broom and kick off with both feet. When you’re in the air point to where you want to fly, it's fairly straight forward.” Catra does as she is told and rockets toward the sky, leaving all her classmates in her dust. Catra feels the air flow through her hair and her robes billow out behind her. She flies up and up, until she is equal to the highest point of the castle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She weaves between the towers and under walkways. Students jump out of the way as she speeds past them. She circles the castle a few times before deciding to fly back to the hill she probably wasn’t supposed to leave. She slows down in order to locate where exactly she is and how to navigate back when she hears voices emanating from a window of the tower she had stopped next to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Micah, you can’t claim this is not a big deal. They surely tampered with the mirror. What else could that toad have been for? That is a big deal by any standard.” Catra recognizes the voice of her charms professor. She brings her broom closer to the window in order to hear more clearly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sister, you are always the pessimist. He didn’t shatter the mirror, and he definitely can’t hurt anyone now,” he sighed and paused for a moment, “she has no regard for human life, to her these witches and wizards are just pawns in her quest for power.” Castaspella did not seem to be finished with her harangue. She continued, as if reading from a page in front of her,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Even those locked in forced slumber will awaken to the melody of shattered glass. A melody that can only be plucked on frayed heartstrings. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That is what the mirror has always been inscribed with. They’ve had a thousand years to figure it out, what if they finally have?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra hears the shrill whistle of Coach Huntara and lets the broom inch away from the open window. When she thinks she is far enough that she won’t alert the professors, she kicks the broom into full speed. It's only a couple seconds before she is flying over the other students, most of whom were hovering just a few feet off the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She arrives just in time to see Adora finally lift off the hill. The motions are jerky and unsure, but she rises a few feet into the air. The moment is short-lived as her broom turns uncontrollably to one direction and torpedoes directly into Lonnie. Adora hits the underside of her broom, sending the Slytherin tumbling to the ground, with Adora right behind her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra directs her own broom to land near the mess of tangled bodies. Before she can walk over to the scene, Lonnie stands and stalks over to where Adora is still laying in the grass. It doesn’t seem like anyone is seriously injured, but Catra can make out a small cut on Adora’s forehead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You idiot! What, you haven't hurt us enough, now you're actively trying to kill us?” The blood leaves Adora’s features and she stammers out an apology,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Lonnie it's not like that. I didn’t mean to.” Adora lifts herself off the grass, only to be pushed back down by the girl looming in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You're not so tough without her are you?” She barks out a laugh, “I thought you were supposed to be strong, but you're weaker than Kyle.” She goes to kick Adora, but is blocked by Catra. She positions herself in front of her new friend and readies her fists for a fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leave her alone, it was obviously an accident,” Catra growls. Lonnie sneers at the show of chivalry. She cracks her knuckles and steps toward her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, she's even gotten herself a Hufflepuff bodyguard, how scary.” Before the students get the chance to fight, Coach Huntara steps in between them. The teacher tells Lonnie to take a walk, she growls under her breath, but turns and steps away. Catra remains on watch, in case Lonnie decides she hasn’t had enough. Huntara inspects the cut on Adora’s head and instructs Catra to help her to the nurse,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It's just a little blood, but we need to make sure you don’t have a concussion.” Huntara slaps Adora on the back, Catra assumes she was trying to comfort the girl, but Adora twists away from the contact and flinches. Their pink-haired friend bounds up to them to check in on Adora as well. Glimmer gives them quick instructions on how to reach the hospital ward, and they set out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora remains quiet and hangs her head in shame. They walk past the lake and through an archway leading into the heart of the Hogwarts. During class times, the school seems eerily quiet. Catra is the first to break the silence,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That girl seems to really have it out for you. Do you know her?” She lifts her head to look at Catra. Adora seems to be lost in deep thought, but finally answers,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a little, we don’t talk much. It's complicated.” Adora lets her head fall back and sighs. Catra could practically see the weight of the world on the girl’s shoulders. Adora looks back over at Catra, her mouth forms a small smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you for sticking up for me, it means a lot.” Catra puffs out her chest a little at her gratitude but insists it was no big deal. Adora doesn’t seem to completely believe her, but they continue to the ward. They only speak one more time before they finally find the hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know you're supposed to wear a tie to class, right?” Adora asks as she bumps Catra’s shoulder with her own. Catra anxiously reaches around her neck, but does not feel anything hanging from it. She thinks it must have flown away sometime during her joy ride. She only had two others and thinks she ought to be more careful in the future. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah I must have lost it, I was going pretty fast.” She doesn’t mean for it to come out as a brag and quickly tries to defuse her statement, but Adora is already giggling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were amazing out there. I’ve never seen something so incredible, there's no way you don’t make the quidditch team next year.” Adora’s vast smile makes Catra’s knees feel weak. “I’ll definitely come to all your games.” Catra thanks her lucky stars they finally arrive at the nurse, she thinks she might have to take a bed herself. She can feel her heart hammer in her chest and her blood rush to her ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra thinks to herself,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wow, so this is what friendship feels like.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Rogue Potion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>First potions class, and there were two beds.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em> Episkey </em>” </p><p>Adora can feel the cut on her forehead mend together when the nurse taps the wand to her injury. The skin feels hot, then cold, and leaves behind an itchy sensation. Adora brings her hand to scratch the place the cut had been, but the nurse grabs her wrist before she can.</p><p>“No scratching, or I’ll have you in a cone. Now off to class.” The nurse shoos her. Adora hops off the bed and pulls the schedule from her bag. She is currently supposed to be in potions, located all the way in the basement. Adora internally groans, she feels very unsure she can find the way there on her own. Catra had been immediately ordered by the nurse to go back to class, only injured students were allowed in the ward. </p><p>Adora chooses a direction at random and starts to walk. She keeps her eyes peeled for any signage to direct her. Unfortunately, it is not long before she admits defeat, she isn’t even on the correct floor of the castle. Adora thinks it might just be easier to go back to her dorm or the great hall while she waits for her friends to finish classes for the day.</p><p>Before she can abandon her search, she recognizes her transfiguration teacher strutting down the hallway. There's a small cutout of red carpeting, the same as the flooring in their classroom, following each step. It grows out in front of them and retreats into itself when they have stepped over it. Her professor also seems to notice Adora, and they call over to her.</p><p>“Adora, honey, what are you doing wandering the halls. Aren't you supposed to be in class?” They let out a chuckle and wipe an imaginary tear with a single finger, “Oh my, I sound like <em> such </em>a teacher. But really you shouldn’t be cutting so early in the semester. I didn’t take you for a trouble maker,” their eyes narrow and their voice intensifies, “and I am a very good judge of character.” </p><p>Adora tries to swallow the lump in her throat and with trembling hands presents her schedule to the professor. They quickly scan the sheet and smile knowingly.</p><p>“I know Hordak is horrible, but you can’t just skip his class, potions can be very useful.” Adora quickly nods her head in affirmation and explains,</p><p>“I can’t find the stairs to the basement, they seem to keep moving.” DT lets out a hum of understanding and hands the paper back to Adora. The carpet beneath their feet moves and the professor’s heels follow in the same direction. Adora has to jog to keep up with their pace, the professor’s long legs stride forward. </p><p>“Professor, I’m sure you're very busy, if you can just point me in the right direction I’m sure I can figure it out.” Adora practically pants, she occasionally trips on the red carpet when it quickly changes direction. Her professor waves their hand in a swatting motion,</p><p>“I mean yes, I technically should be teaching a class right now, but it's <em> unbearably </em>dull. If you’ve taught the transfiguration alphabet once, you've taught it a hundred times. Besides, I left a hedgehog with a small hat on my desk and a note to read the chapter.” Adora’s face contorts in confusion, but continues after the strange professor. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>Lonnie’s eyes narrow at the small animal sitting on their professor’s desk. Every now and then it lets out a small squeak and nibbles the corner of the note informing the students of today’s lesson. Kyle, who is sitting to her right, nervously scribbles down the alphabet over and over.</p><p>“You know that's just a hedgehog, right? I don’t think they can even turn into animals.” Lonnie huffs and crosses her arms in frustration. How was she supposed to learn when the professors don’t even show up? Kyle does not slow in his work, but anxiously replies,</p><p>“We don’t know for sure, Lonnie, you should start the assignment, you don’t want to make them angry.” Just as Kyle speaks, the hedgehog stops chewing and directs its beady eyes to the students in conversation. It stares unblinking, as if it is trying to look into their very souls. Kyle gulps and starts writing even faster, smudging every other letter he scribbles down. Even Lonnie is disturbed by this and slowly lowers her quill to the paper in front of her. Seemingly approving of her choice, the small animal resumes its chewing. </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Finally, they manage to reach the staircase that leads to the basement. The stones are slick with humid condensation and Adora has to grip the railing to refrain from tumbling the rest of the way to the classroom. DT had stopped at the top step, giving Adora directions for the rest of the way. They said something about not wanting to ruin their good mood by seeing the potions professor. Adora wonders how horrible he can truly be, and hopes she hasn’t already ruined her chances at a good grade by being late to the first class. </p><p>She descends the stairs slowly and tries to keep her robes from dragging on the damp ground. Rats scrabble across the floor and into holes in the stone. Adora shivers at both the chill and the gross atmosphere of the basement. She quickly finds the room DT had directed her to, the door was made of a thick wood that will undoubtedly scream when she pushes it open.</p><p>She tries to catch her breath and gather enough confidence before shoving the door. The room is rather large when compared to her charms and transfiguration classes. Each table holds a cauldron and two chairs. Adora can see Glimmer and Bow huddled over a pot leaking purple smoke, it sparks and fizzes. Her friends look disappointed at the reaction. Adora also spots Catra sitting by herself at the table closest to the professor’s desk.</p><p>She begins walking into class when the door slams behind her. The commotion brings the entire class’s attention to the late student clutching her bag to her chest. The professor had been standing with his back to the door, but quickly turns toward the loud thump of wood against stone. </p><p>“Well, if it isn’t another early bird,” he growls. “I do not accept tardiness for any reason. You can join the other insubordinate student, I like to keep a close eye on the troublemakers” he points behind him to where Catra is sitting. Hordak is standing in front of the table and is unable to see the exaggerated movements Catra makes during his punitive speech. Her motions follow his to the tee, the imitation is impeccable. </p><p>Adora struggles to keep the laughter off her face and rushes to sit down next to her friend. She pulls her potions book from her bag and places it down next to Catra’s. The cauldron is already bubbling blue and emitting pink smoke. Adora looks down at her textbook and notes that it is precisely what a cure for boils should look like. She can’t help but be impressed by Catra for the second time that day.</p><p>“You’ve already finished it? That's incredible.” Catra blushes at the compliment and just shrugs her shoulders,</p><p>“It's really not a big deal, everyone in my family works in potions. I’ve seen my dad make this like a hundred times. The hard part is getting the exact amount of flobberworm mucus, that stuff is slippery.” Adora is very glad that she didn’t have to go anywhere near something called flobberworm mucus. She watches Catra add a few more snake fangs before she raises her hand to get the potion inspected. </p><p>Hordak creeps over to the table, staring down the students that dared call for him. He stalks around their cauldron and thoroughly inspects the potion. He lowers his eyes at the girls, but finally admits to their success.</p><p>“I see your father has taught you well, if only he had managed to teach you respect. Five points to Hufflepuff.” He grunts in thought, “I do wonder what your family thinks about your unfortunate placement.” He sneers at Catra before walking toward Bow and Glimmer’s table. Their potion had somehow managed to crawl completely out of the cauldron and was now sliding its way out of the classroom. </p><p>Catra’s eyes harden and her hand pulls into a tight fist. This is obviously still a sore subject for the girl. Adora is not very comfortable with physical touch, but wants desperately to help her new friend. She places her own hand over Catra’s closed fist. The girl quickly looks up at her, eyes wide.</p><p>“You shouldn’t listen to him, I think you're an awesome Hufflepuff. And besides, DT said that no one likes him, not even the other professors. He’s just a meanie.” As she speaks Catra’s hand loosens and slowly falls open under Adora’s. Catra speaks quietly, practically whispering,</p><p>“My entire family is Slytherin, I just don’t want to let them down.” She sighs and pulls her hand back to her side. Adora can’t stand to see such a wonderful person hurt like this. </p><p>“There's no way your family isn’t proud of you, you’re incredible!” Catra looks like she might try to interrupt, but Adora doesn’t let her speak. “You were the second student in charms to cast a spell, you’ve already memorized the transfiguration alphabet, you’ve made the only usable potion in this class, and you might just be the fastest flier in the whole school!” Adora rants until she runs out of air. </p><p>Catra lets out a small chuckle and a smile forms on her face.</p><p>“Thanks Adora.” Catra’s eyes transfix on her own and she feels her breath leave her body. The moment is broken when a thick drop of purple slime falls onto Adora’s head. Her fingers run over the sludge and come back a deep purple color. She looks up to the ceiling and notices the creature that had been conceived on Glimmer and Bow’s table had grown arms and had somehow managed to crawl up the supportive beams and onto the ceiling. Out of the sludge, two eyes pop forward. Quickly followed is a small mouth covered in spiky teeth. Before she has a chance to get out of the way, Professor Hordak shouts out a spell,</p><p>“<em> Confringo </em>!” The blast is directed at the disgusting creature. A bolt of magic dislodges it from its refuge and causes the varmint to explode; buckets of purple slime fly in every direction, effectively covering Adora and Catra head to toe. Every other student in the class also gets hit, but nowhere as thoroughly as the two that had been unfortunate enough to be directly under the monstrosity. </p><p>The most noticeable characteristic of the purple guts is the horrendous smell, a mix between skunk and rotting corpse. Adora has to hold her breath in order to keep her breakfast inside of her. Very quickly after that, the class is dismissed and sixteen sopping first years slowly climb up the stairs and out of the basement. They had been told to hastily get to the dorms and change out of the mucous filled uniforms. The faster they wash off the contaminants, the lower the odds of something horrible growing out of the remains.</p><p>No one mentioned anything when Bow sneezed and a pea-sized mutant shot across the room and crawled into a mouse hole. They were all exhausted from the day. Between flying, colliding into Lonnie, and now squishing her way through the hallways, Adora barely had any energy left. This certainly was not helped when she tried to lie down on her bed after taking a much-needed shower. </p><p>“Uh, omg what is that smell!?” Her roommates apologetically kick her out of her own room, saying they feel bad, but they can’t possibly study with that horrendous smell wafting in the air. Adora has no energy to put up a fight and quickly changes into her second uniform. She packs a change of clothes and some toiletries into her bag and hopes there might be some sort of guest quarters she can borrow for the night.</p><p>As she walks into the great hall for lunch, she can’t help but notice as students she passes plug their noses and step away from her. She very easily identifies her friends, they are sitting at a table near the middle of the room, all of the tables surrounding it are vacant. She had thought she was beginning to get used to the odor but senses the smell increasing in potency as she closes in on her destination. </p><p>She ungracefully settles in the seat between Glimmer and Catra. The aroma practically makes her eyes water. Catra seems just as uncomfortable as her, but also very angry. </p><p>“People hate us now, we smell like we slept in a pile of manure.” Bow seems to think about Catra’s appraisal and reviews her assessment.</p><p>“I think we smell more like a boat of rotting fish, with a pinch of flobberworm mucus.” The rancid smell hangs in the air, but even it cannot fully dampen the laughter from the friends. As ridiculous as the situation was, it was better to be in it together. The mood lifts and the conversation grows lighter. Even Catra seems to have given up with being mad, and instead enjoys the company of her classmates. </p><p>“How did you guys even make that thing?” Catra inquiries to the guilty parties. Glimmer throws her arms up in feigned exasperation. </p><p>“Wayyyyy too much flobberworm mucus. That's where it all started. After that it was falling right out of the cauldron and picking up every ingredient it could reach, it even ate Bow’s potions book.” The boy’s smile falters at this reminder. They finish their food and decide to migrate to Catra’s room, it seems to be their unofficial meeting place. </p><p>When they reach the secret entrance, Catra pulls out her wand and rhythmically knocks it on a barrel near a large portrait. To Adora it sounds like a lullaby and has to work to keep her eyes open. After a few rounds of tapping the portraits becomes unhinged and they are able to walk inside. A few Hufflepuffs wander around the cozy room, playing chess or just lazing about. They don’t receive any dirty looks, like Adora had when she drudged into the Gryffindor common room. Instead others look to them with sympathy in their eyes. </p><p>They make their way up the stairs to Catra’s room, but Melog is nowhere to be found. Adora finds herself looking behind Catra’s bed and dresser when the Hufflepuff speaks up,</p><p>“Melog ran away when I first got back, I think he's sulking in the kitchens. They feed him meat scraps whenever he visits, I swear he's already fatter than when we arrived.” Adora completely understands, if she could run away from this odor she would. Glimmer pulls out the same chair she had used last time she visited and sits. </p><p>“Your house is so nice Catra, mine wouldn’t even let me into the dorms. They told me to hose off outside, can you believe that? I doubt they let me back in tonight, at least I’m able to use my old room, from before I was a student.” She waves her arms in annoyance, “I bet they call me Frankenstink the whole year. I wish I was a Hufflepuff.” Bow nods his head in agreement,</p><p>“Yeah, my prefect asked me if I could stay with my dad until I stop smelling so bad. They were at least mostly nice about it. One of them wanted to do experiments on me.” He shutters at the memory. They look to Adora, clearly asking what had happened at the Gryffindor common room.</p><p>“They let me shower and get my stuff, but my roommates basically kicked me out. I don’t blame them though. I hope we don’t smell like this forever.” She turns to Glimmer, “I wanted to ask you if there are any guest rooms in the castle?” Glimmer thinks for a moment, but shakes her head,</p><p>“You’d have to give them a few days notice, most of the rooms are infested with ghouls and they are difficult to remove without hurting them.” Adora lets out a heavy sigh, she figured she might have to sleep on the field tonight. </p><p>“Well, why don’t you stay here? I have two beds and no roommate, we’d just have to ask a prefect,” Catra interjects the idea. Adora can’t think of any reason not to, and nods her head. The four of them walk down the stairs to find someone with the power to grant their request. The older Hufflepuff quickly agrees and asks if they need anything. The extra bed already has sheets and a comforter so they decline the offer. Glimmer and Bow say goodbye while Catra and Adora move back up to the dorms. </p><p>Adora takes her necessities out of the bag and lays them on the second dresser. She can practically feel Catra’s eyes on her. When she turns the girl is shyly gripping the necktie that sits on her shoulders.</p><p>“Hey Adora, could you show me how to tie this? I’ve only got one clean one left, and I don’t want to lose it.” Adora is more than happy to help her friend. She thinks that Catra looks wonderful in the yellow and black uniform. It really brings out the kindness in her eyes. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is it, maybe the best thing I've ever written in my opinion. It's all downhill from here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. All Ears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Glimmer has a bad day.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Glimmer huffs in annoyance as she remembers her earlier encounter at the Slytherin common room. When she descended the dungeon stairs and muttered the password there was no reaction by the secret door. She tried a few more times before someone had come up behind her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The prefects changed it when Hordak told them about your failure in potions. Slytherins do not fail, and they certainly do not smell like sewage, Frankenstink” She had just barely begun school and had already been ostracized by her peers. Glimmer would have strangled the smug student if they hadn’t been years above her. She’d hate to be cursed now, on top of smelling like a rotten egg.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fortunately for her, she had been able to use the staff bathrooms to clean herself off. The room was well hidden to students, but Glimmer could circle the castle blindfolded. She was internally thankful that she hadn’t been splattered as badly as Catra and Adora. Most of the goop had landed on her own head with her clothes being spared. Although it was impossible to tell by the stench; it seemed more like she had been marinating in it all morning. After spending an enjoyable lunch with her friends she decided to spend the rest of the day studying for her lectures tomorrow. Today they only had one more class, Astronomy, and that wouldn’t even begin until midnight.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She makes her way to her old quarters, near her mother’s office. She ascends the same stairs Castaspella had led them up after finding them cowering in the enchantment room. Glimmer knows by heart when the stairs dipped low enough to hit the heads of those who pass by. She strides over the stone that shifts when stepped on and walks past her mother’s office. The hallway was only long enough to accommodate two doors, but only one was currently visible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She turned to face the blank wall and whispered a password she knew would never change,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Amare patefio porta,” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before her very eyes, a door shimmers into existence. A small smile found her lips. It may have only been two days, but Glimmer couldn’t help but feel a bit homesick. She walks into the apartment-style living arrangement. The living room connects to a kitchen and a small dining table. She wanders into the first room on the left, her childhood bedroom. It is a modest room with purple glitter paint covering the walls and crystals hanging from the ceiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She lays her bag on the desk and pulls herself up onto her lofted bed. She easily recalls her father reading her books until she fell asleep and her mother lighting up the ceiling with stars for her to count. She was still a baby when her parents had decided on taking jobs as professors and moving into the fabled Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her mother had accepted the position of professor of transfiguration and her father into the role of professor of defense against the dark arts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There had been the need to fill quite a few positions after Light Spinner was cast out. She had secretly gathered soldiers for her shadow army while she was the previous defense against the dark arts professor, Glimmer’s own father included. She preyed on the Slytherin’s ambition to master his magic and lured him with empty promises. Her parents refused to tell her much more on the subject, only that the love he had for his family set him free of her control. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer had suspected it was Light Spinner who set the dark wizard on Hogwarts yesterday. When they told the adults about the wizard's hollowed gaze filled with shadows her aunt and mother’s eyes went directly to her father. Glimmer knew he was close with the exiled witch, she had been a mentor to him, and had tried to groom him in her image. Her parents hadn’t exactly been privy with that information, but it was difficult to hide much from Glimmer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The magic that created this miniature home had allowed for some undesired structural inconveniences. These included the thin walls that had always allowed her to listen in to the room bordering her own, her mother’s office. This had often allowed her to gather information about students, faculty, and even the castle. It had been less of a security breach when her mother was just a professor. Last year she had been asked to become the new Headmaster and had only accepted after considering her husband and daughter’s reactions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer knew there were many in the wizarding world who thought her mother was underqualified or just too young for the prestigious position. As far as Glimmer was aware, there had never been a headmaster younger than her mother. There were of course those who supported Angella, she had been vital in the fight against Light Spinner, so much so that it had been affectionately named the “Battle of Brightmoon”.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer greatly admired her mother, but sometimes she felt like she had a lot to live up to. Both of her parents were well known for their powerful magic, and she hadn’t been able to cast a single spell yet. Not to mention the disaster of a potion that caused her to become the laughing stock of her house on the second day of school. Being the daughter of the Headmaster has its pros and cons. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now Glimmer was more careful with listening in, not that she didn’t still do it. She could usually only hear the conversations if she pressed her ear to a certain inch of wall, but while laying on her bed she hears a yelling emanating from the very spot. She tries to resist the urge to eavesdrop, but as the yelling grows louder she pushes her ear to the spot. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is wholly unacceptable, Micah’s done nothing wrong!” Glimmer gasps at the mention of her father. She clearly recognizes her Aunt’s distressed articulation. She presses her face even closer to the conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Casta, it's going to be fine, they just want me to answer some questions, and I have nothing to hide.” Her father’s voice was confident, but he spoke as if he was trying to convince himself of the man’s motives. The unrecognizable man ignores her father’s words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure he hasn’t, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>the one to lower the castle’s defenses, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>notoriously close with the witch in question. We’re just going to talk to him.” The masculine voice talked down to the other people in the room. Glimmer could tell he didn’t care what anyone else had to say. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is his job! He is the defense against the dark arts teacher, part of that position is to ensure Hogwart’s magic defenses are able to keep the dark arts out. Besides, countermeasures have been taken, the mirror has been moved and we are in the process of installing additional defenses as we speak,” her aunt rants. The gruff voice lets out a humorless laugh,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How well did Micah’s fortification hold? There was a dark wizard in this castle only yesterday. Is that the mark of a good job in this school? As leading officer in this case I formally command that Micah not be involved or knowledgable with any of these new defenses. He is the main suspect as of now.” At this Headmaster Angella interrupts,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The defenses had to be lowered in order to bring the new students in, the infiltration must have been carefully planned to take advantage of this. The only people with access to that information are the people standing in this very room, and I trust Micah and Castaspella with my life. Maybe you should be more concerned with who on your team is working for Light Spinner.” Glimmer hears a fist collide with some sort of wooden furniture. The man clearly had a temper, and she worried her mother had just unleashed his wrath. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you saying that I can’t control my men?” He growls roughly, “Your husband is the one in question here, not me. We’re bringing him to the Ministry to be interrogated.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chief Lashor, surely you can speak with him here, there's no need to take him to London.” Her mother’s distressed voice reached her ears. She had hardly ever seen her mother yield to another, to Glimmer she was the pinnacle of strength.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m afraid I can’t, it's only protocol.” He hardly sounded sorry about the situation at all. After a few tense seconds of silence, she hears her father comfort the women.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honey, it's going to be ok. Cancel my classes until I get back, and tell Glimmer I was called away on business. I want to help the officers however I can, I know we will stop her.” There were a few hushed words exchanged that Glimmer couldn't quite pick up, but soon footsteps echoed throughout the room. The voice of Chief Lashor had moved further from Glimmer’s grasp, he had probably walked closer to the door of the office. His words seemed to be directed at the Headmaster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You might be right, maybe this wasn’t an inside job. If that is the case, you’d be smart to back me in the upcoming election. I’ll be sure to upgrade the castle's defenses and allocate resources to the safety of the students. After all, they are the future.” The door slams, causing Glimmer’s ears to ring loudly. She wants to be brave for her dad, but can’t help the tears that fall from her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midnight arrived rather quickly for Glimmer. She couldn't bring herself to eat dinner with her friends, she hated to worry them, but she didn’t trust herself not to cry the second she spoke. She had thought about telling Bow, but she knew he would want to help in any way possible, and Glimmer just wasn’t ready to be consoled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her mother did not have any more guests in her office that day, but had also not left the room. Glimmer would have been able to hear the door opening and closing, and it had remained perfectly still ever since her Aunt Casta had tearfully excused herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With her books packed and cloaks pulled tight around her, Glimmer left the room. As she steps out into the hall the door behind her vanishes into the wall. She takes a deep breath and moves down the stairs, she practically sleepwalks to class. This day seems never-ending, she still has to face her friends. After a few minutes Glimmer finds herself at the observatory at the very top of the castle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she walks to the expansive room, she quickly identifies her friends fiddling with a telescope. The semi-walls open up to the night sky and the wind blows through her hair. The stone arches upward, allowing the night sky to be easily explored from the covered platform. From this height, the lake, the forest, and even the quidditch field were fully visible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could hear the werewolves howl and the monster in the lake lazily groan. This was one of the few times she truly appreciated her home, it was easy to become used to the grandeur, but this view brought the magic back to her. It was almost possible to forget her worries when they seemed so small compared to the universe she saw when she lifted her eyes to the sky. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bow is the first to notice her as she walks toward them. He quickly rushes toward Glimmer, knocking the telescope over in the process. Catra is able to catch it before it crashes to the hard ground and glares at the boy as he runs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Glimmer, we were so worried! Why didn’t you come to dinner?” Her moment of peace cracks open as the memories find her. She can feel the lump in her throat grow, but she tries to portray a facade of indifference. She shrugs to answer her friend,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t that hungry, and I didn’t really feel like getting more dirty looks from my house.” What she said was at least partially true. It was then she noticed she seemed to be the only one of her friends still smelling of purple potion guts. “Why don’t you guys smell anymore?” In response to her query Bow digs into his bag slung over his shoulder and retrieves a small potion bottle. The purple liquid swirls like a small tornado, it is labeled “Common Antidote”. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Professor Hordak handed these out at dinner, they taste horrible but I think it's worth it. They let me back into the dorms so I won’t have to bunk with my Dad.” He looks over at Adora, “I guess that means you can go back to the Gryffindor dorms tonight too, right?” The girl blushes but shakes her head,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just going to stay with Catra tonight, my roommates have to get up early tomorrow anyway, and I don’t want to wake them up when this class ends.” Glimmer notices Catra look away, seemingly flustered when her name is mentioned. It also seems as if the small girl had finally decided to fasten the tie around her neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer stared for a moment at the small glass in her hand. She readied herself for the foul taste and drank the concoction in a single gulp. She could feel the effect take place almost instantly, her fingers and toes twitched and the stench evaporated. She shook off the feeling and turned to her friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hordak doesn’t seem like he would care enough to make us antidotes, I assumed he would make us wait it out for some kind of messed up punishment.” The taste disappeared the more she spoke. Catra seemed to agree with her assessment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He did not seem happy about it, I think some of the other professors convinced him to do it. We should watch out for him though, his knuckles were bleeding when he gave me my potion. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had just come from beating up a student he doesn’t like.” The small girl brings her fists to her chest and pretends to punch Bow. The boy looks uninterested and pushes her away. Glimmer laughs at the shenanigans and concludes, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“At least he hates all of us now. As long as we’re together, we can take him.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The astronomy professor suddenly steps into the room and announces their presence,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello students, I am Professor Starla Sterling and I will be showing you the wonders of the universe. Please break up into groups of two and share a telescope. We will begin by identifying the more popular constellations.” The woman wore orange-colored robes with stars glittering around her cloak. A small owl sat on her right shoulder and occasionally snacked at the treats she offered it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The students do as they are told, Bow and Glimmer pair off, and Adora and Catra take the telescope next to theirs. Glimmer swears to herself that she will fill Bow in with all that she had witnessed earlier in the day, they never keep secrets from each other. She pushes that thought to the back of her mind, for now they had to focus on the class. The celestial bodies once again light up her wistful heart and distract her from the sorrow that had grown throughout the day. As she observes a falling star she childishly wishes for better fortune,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope tomorrow is better.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Take Notes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An upcoming exam has the gang stressed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The first week of wizarding school had gone unexpectedly well for Catra. She had originally thought she was doomed when she hadn’t been placed in Slytherin, but the more she witnesses the students in green berate her new sparkly friend, the more she isn’t as torn up about being a Hufflepuff. Her own house had been nothing but kind and genuine, if not a bit clingy; especially her new friend Scorpia.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The day after potions class, she finally wrote to her family to inform them of all that had happened thus far. She wrote about her classes, her new friends, and even her house. As she composed the letter she realized just how eventful her short time at the school had been, she had finished with four packed pages. For a moment she considered shortening it, but that would require her to retract the page describing her new best friend Adora, and she just wouldn’t do that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra didn’t have an owl of her own so she had to ask Noelle if she could borrow her black and white messenger bird. This was a conversation she was dreading for a while now, but she couldn’t help but feel more confident after Adora had said all those nice things to her in potions class. She felt like she could conquer the world when the blonde girl stood next to her. The exchange had been about as painful as she had expected.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra, I am so sorry, I know how much you wanted to be a Slytherin. I hope you're not terribly disappointed. I’m sure dad won’t be too upset, he's very open-minded. You know, his best friend was a Hufflepuff.” Catra huffed and rolled her eyes, she wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just send the letter,” Catra’s mouth lifts in a smirk, “Besides, now I can wipe the quidditch field with you next year.” Her sister’s expression shifted from concerned to determined, the same expression Catra was used to seeing at family reunions when the egg toss began, it was slightly alarming.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m looking forward to that, but keep in mind we are four years undefeated, and Hufflepuff hasn’t won the cup in more than a decade.” She puffed out her chest at the declaration and got lightly pushed by Catra, who laughed quietly at her sister’s antics. She shoved the thick letter into Noelle’s hands. Her older sister took it and carefully placed it in her bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll send it when I get the chance, probably sometime later today. Do you want me to proofread, check for spelling errors?” Catra just groaned and stomped off in exaggeration. She was internally glad to speak to her annoying sister. Catra pondered that maybe they weren't as different as she had thought. Both certainly had a competitive streak. Catra didn’t think she would be living in her sister’s shadow for much longer, she was going to pave her own path, no matter how hard that may be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now Catra sat on her bed, watching her friends enjoy what little of the weekend was left by studying. The three other students sit on the floor of her room, taking turns with the flashcards Bow had made. Their first history of magic test was tomorrow, after only two days of classes. Bow’s father taught the class and he did not play favorites, not even for his own son.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Castaspella may have been joking about reading the entire book before the first class, Mr. Aaron had not. He walked into the first lecture with a pop quiz clutched in his hands and was met with a sea of groaning students.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even with their dark arts classes canceled, the amount of coursework was still overwhelming. When she had asked Glimmer about why her father postponed their meetings, the girl had grown quiet. She claimed he was away on business, but her demeanor told Catra that probably wasn’t the entire story. Catra dropped the topic and as the days passed Glimmer’s mood seemed to improve as the group turned their attention to the upcoming exam.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They have been shouting names and dates at each other for hours now, and Catra was beginning to tire of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When was the crystal cathedral built, and by whom?” Bow excitedly asks the room. Glimmer slaps the fake buzzer in front of her crossed legs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“916 AD, Grayson Fletcher!” The girl excitedly jumps into the air in celebration, apparently very sure of her answer. Bow’s face forms a grimace and he creates a sad buzzer sound, indicating that Glimmer was incorrect. She looks like she might strangle the messenger of the bad news.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry Glimmer, but it's actually 915 AD, and his name was Fletcher Grayson. Very close though.” He gives the girl a weak thumbs up and an exhausted smile. The pink-haired girl groans and dramatically collapses onto the floor. Catra has had about enough of this back and forth and has grown rather restless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There's no way we can possibly remember all of this, we’re not robots.” Bow looks at her confusion,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s a robot?” Catra throws her arms up in annoyance. This happens a lot with her new friends, she will mention something muggle related and Bow and Glimmer will just stare at her in bewilderment. At least Adora knew what she was talking about the majority of the time. She growls in frustration and begins to stalk around the room. Catra has been trapped in this small room for far too long. She yearns to run outside and actually enjoy their day off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ever since their first flying lesson, Catra hadn’t been able to keep her mind off the feeling of spiraling freely through the air. She wonders if Coach Huntara would allow them to take the brooms out for a spin. Catra thinks she could help Adora with her technique, or lack thereof. She wanted to be a good friend, and Adora had already done so much for her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl in question has her nose in the history of magic textbook and occasionally jots down some notes with her quill. She doesn’t seem bothered by the array of noises emanating from her classmates next to her. Adora had been in her room the most out of all her new friends. She claimed it was because her roommates were loud, and that made it hard to study. Catra thinks it's because of Melog, the cat was enamored with the blonde.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was constantly crossing between her feet and taking naps on her lap. Catra remembered that Adora had never had a pet before and was glad that Melog had taken to her so quickly. Currently, the feline is lounging on the spare bed, the one that Adora had used when she stayed over. He is curled into the pillow, his head drooping off the edge of the mattress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The night after astronomy class the two girls had stayed up well past two in the morning. In the cover of darkness, they had giggled and whispered about anything and everything they could think of. Catra explained quidditch and talked extensively about her favorite team. Adora talked about her favorite spells and how she desperately wanted to be good at flying. Catra had ranted about her family, her muggle town, and the farm she grew up on. Adora whispered about how she was adopted and never met her biological parents, and how she often wondered where she came from. In the end, Catra spoke extensively, while Adora mostly listened, and that seemed to work for them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora was a big hit in the Hufflepuff common room, everyone enjoyed her company and friendly disposition. She was always more than happy to help a student with their charms or transfiguration homework. Catra noticed as some of the students started to look behind her whenever she entered the dorms, clearly expecting Adora to be tailing behind her. The run-in with the dark wizard had given the Gryffindor some acclaim around the school, and everyone felt a little bit safer when she was in the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The infiltration of the school was the hot topic of the week. Professors tried to steer clear of any mention of the dark wizard, but that didn’t stop the student’s imaginations from running wild. Some people believed it to be an isolated incident, but others attributed it to the mysterious dark wizard called Light Spinner. Catra hadn’t learned much about the Battle of Brightmoon, she grew up in the muggle world, and her parents tried to keep ill matters away from their children.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whole mess had shone poorly on house Slytherin. Catra had picked up that Light Spinner had been the head of the house at the time of her attack, in addition to being the defense against the dark arts professor. Her dark army had almost entirely been from the house of green, and this was the cause of some of the more controversial changes in Hogwart’s recent history. Slytherins were no longer allowed to run house-only clubs, their common room was inspected weekly, and every password change had to be reported directly to the headmaster herself. In short, the school no longer trusted them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra’s parents must have known of Light Spinner, they had attended Hogwarts while she was still a professor, but they had never mentioned anything to Catra. She trusted her parents, and they were good people, but she couldn’t help but wonder if they were somehow involved in it all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She's drawn from her thoughts as Glimmer gets another question wrong. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That's it, I’m going to fail! There's no way I can remember all of this by tomorrow.” She once again slumps over into herself and lays her hands over her face. Adora tries to comfort the girl,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It's going to be ok Glimmer, I think I can help you. I’ve come up with some great acronyms, you know, to remember the names and dates?” She gives her notebook to the somber girl and they all watch as she flips through the pages of notes. Instead of cheering up, the girl looks even grimmer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, I don’t recognize any of these people, how can I be this stupid?” Bow curiously lifts the notes from Glimmer’s grasp and skims the pages. A panicked grimace sneaks onto the boy’s features.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um Adora, can I see the book you’re using?” Adora gives a puzzled nod and hands her textbook to Bow. The panic rises even further on his face and he softly explains to the blonde, “Adora this is the wrong textbook. We’re supposed to be studying for years 900-1250 AD, not BC.” The blonde girl opens her mouth, but no words come out. Catra feels genuinely bad for the girl, but the hilarity of it all was too much to ignore. She lets out a loud laugh as Bow just shakes his head. Finally, Adora is released from her stupor and looks to her friends,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to fail my first test.” She assumes the same defeated fetal position Glimmer had just come out of. With two of his friend’s souls crushed, Bow sighs and seems to give in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I may know a way to help us study,” he rubs the back of his neck anxiously. “There's a Ravenclaw who has enchanted notebooks, they let the reader magically retain the information for twenty-four hours and then they forget everything they studied.” All the girls' eyes quickly train on the boy. Glimmer is quickly on her feet, she practically yells at Bow,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve known this the entire time we’ve been here? We could have been done with this hours ago!” Bow raises his hands in fear,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t even know if she will give them to us, and it's pretty much cheating. Memorizing is not the same as learning. I only even mentioned it because Adora hasn't read any of these chapters so she won’t be affected when the spell wears off.” He frantically tries to keep the girl from stalking any closer to him. Her eyes are murderous and each step she takes toward Bow is more intimidating. “Glimmer, if you use the books, when the spell wears off you won’t even remember that Fletcher Grayson built the crystal cathedral in 915 AD.” He tries to reason with her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d consider that a win-win scenario. You may care about this Bow, but we’re never going to need it again.” She grabs him by the shirt, trying to look frightening, but Catra thinks the whole scene has been absurd. “Take us to the magic notebooks now.” The boy just nods and begins to lead them out of Catra’s room. They travel in a neat line down the stairs, Catra brings up the rear, locking the door behind her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She notices that Adora still seems a bit upset about the whole ordeal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, we're not gonna let you fail the test.” She playfully bumps her shoulder into the blonde’s. She looks up to Catra but still seems disheartened. She quietly sighs and responds,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How can you be so sure? There's no guarantee they will share their notes with us.” She pushes her hands against her forehead in frustration. “I just feel so stupid, I read the wrong book. Who even does that?” Catra thinks that was a pretty stupid thing to do, but not entirely off-brand for the Gryffindor, or any Gryffindor really. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well at least you studied, I was just gonna cheat off of you. I guess that makes us both idiots, but we’re idiots together.” A smile finally finds Adora’s face, and she retaliates with a shoulder bump of her own. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> They follow behind Bow as he leads them to the Ravenclaw Tower. It stands near the middle of the castle, the prime location for students who wish to be close to their classes. The entrance to the tower is unlocked and the first years climb layers and layers of stairs before they finally reach an open room with a single door. There is no handle to open it with, and instead only an eagle engraved with bronze. When the students grow closer, it begins to move and speaks a riddle,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have rivers without fish and roads without cars, deserts without heat and snow lands without cold. I hold mountains without height and canyons without depth. What am I?” Bow thinks for a few seconds before answering,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A map.” The door groans and pushes itself open to the students. The students wander inside, the room is open and airy when compared to Catra’s cozy Hufflepuff common room. The windows spanned the length of the room and Catra could only imagine how bright the room must be during the day. It was getting close to curfew, so they hurried to find the Ravenclaw Bow had mentioned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, I think that's her. I think her name is Mermista,'' he points to a prefect lounging in front of one of the many bay windows, eyes quickly scanning the novel in her hands. The four of them slowly walk toward her, as if trying not to spook a small animal. If she notices them, she makes no physical indication until they stand directly in front of her. She lets out a long exaggerated sigh and lifts her eyes from the book to the first years shuffling nervously ahead of her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“UGH, can’t I read just once without getting interrupted?” She folds the book and sets it in on her lap. “What do you want?” Bow struggles to find the words and stutters for a few seconds. The prefect looks like she might pop a blood vessel if he doesn’t speak soon so Glimmer pushes past him and takes charge of the situation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We heard you might have some magical notes? We really need them.” The girl’s eyebrows raise in response and she quickly shushes them. She leans in and whispers,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not here, follow me.” She stands and walks past the nervous students. Mermista leads them to a small sitting room off to the side of the grand common area. When she is sure there is no one else in the vicinity she continues the conversation. “What class do you want?” Bow finally finds his voice and answers,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“History of magic, 900 AD to 1250 AD.” The prefect lets out a low whistle and shakes her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That's in high demand, isn’t that test tomorrow? You guys really waited until the last minute, you don’t want to fail your first exam at Hogwarts.” Catra gets the feeling she may be overselling a bit. The other three eagerly lean in and wholeheartedly agree with the Ravenclaw. “Well, it's gonna cost you. I just wonder how badly you need to pass this class?” Catra decides to cut in before her overeager friends can run the price up any more with their terrible poker faces.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just tell us what you want, we don’t have all night.” The girl smirks and points to Adora. The students are visibly confused and Catra can see Adora choke on air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want you to join my book club, we read mystery novels and they can get a little intense. It's been difficult to get people to come since the dark wizard incident, they get scared during the readings and flee to their rooms.” She sounds more than a little annoyed. “Maybe they would feel better if the first year who defeated the wizard was there, that is you, isn’t it?” Adora rubs her neck in apprehension and begins to speak,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean that was me, but I didn’t really def-” She is cut off when Glimmer jumps in front of her and slaps her hand over Adora’s mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was definitely her, she would love to join! She can definitely read.” Catra can barely contain her laughter at the scene before her. Adora looks startled, but agrees with Glimmer. The prefect leaves the room to retrieve the items. It only takes a few moments before she comes back and hands the notes to Glimmer and a small paperback book to Adora.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This week we’re reading Mer-Mystery, The Pearl Who Knew Too Much. Be ready to discuss by next weekend, we meet here at six on Sundays.” Adora smiles at the prefect, but Catra can tell it is forced. She makes a mental note to find that book in the library, Adora shouldn’t have to suffer alone, they were all benefiting from the notes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They start to make their way out of the room when Bow points to the clock above the main entrance, it reads nine-fifteen. They were out past curfew, the girls would have to find a way back to their dorms without getting caught. Catra doesn’t want to be the reason Hufflepuff loses any points, they had been so kind to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have to go now, if we run maybe we can make it!” Glimmer speaks, but it seems like she is trying to convince herself instead of Catra and Adora. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not unless you can somehow run back in time we won’t. We should try to sneak back, I think that's our best bet.” Catra proclaims but falters when her eyes land on Adora. Glimmer seems to have the same concern as they both look to their blonde friend, the same friend that had flown into Lonnie on her broomstick and was known to knock over everything that wasn’t nailed down. She wasn’t exactly graceful, or stealthy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think it's our only option at this point.” Glimmer agrees. Adora gives them an apologetic smile, she knows just how clumsy she can be. They leave the Ravenclaw common room and begin to descend the mountain of stairs. The Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms were in the same direction, but the Gryffindor dorms were across the school, too far for Adora to get on her own. They agreed that Adora would stay with Catra again, it wasn’t like the other Hufflepuffs would mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reach the end of the stairs, Catra slowly looks around the corners of the hall. When she doesn’t see anyone walking by, she motions to her two friends to follow her movements. They slowly but surely make their way through the halls without drawing any attention to themselves. That is, until they notice two Gryffindor prefects walking directly towards them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra thinks quickly and pulls them into a narrow hallway off of the main corridor. They easily squeeze through and come out on the other side. This darkened path was accented with dozens of steel suits of armor. These suits didn’t move, but Catra wouldn’t put that past them, this was a magical school after all. Glimmer patted the dust off her robes and took a few steps further into the area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is this place? I don’t recognize it at all.” This was certainly concerning, for the whole time Catra had known Glimmer, she had never been unsure of anything to do with the castle. They slowly walked forward through the hall, towards the only door in the whole room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were now only a few feet from the wooden hatch when they heard a struggle and a blast from behind it. Glimmer jumps behind the closest iron suit and Catra grabs Adora and steps behind a large column near the wall of the hallway. They press their backs to the stone, trying to disappear into it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They can hear a few more blasts before the door forcefully springs open. Catra closes her eyes in fear and tries to still her heavy breaths. She almost jumps when she feels something on her hand, but quickly relaxes when she realizes it is just Adora. Her friend didn’t seem to be scared at all, instead, she seemed determined and fearless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as quickly as the door had opened, it closed. She could hear the wood rumbling, it seems like something was trying to escape from the room. After a few more loud crashes it appears to grow tired. When that clamor quiets, she hears uneven footsteps stalking over to the hallway exit. Catra very clearly hears them mutter under their breath,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Arron and his first one's magic, who knew these things even existed anymore. Damn thing nearly took my leg off.” Catra could recall that gruff voice anywhere, the man who practically called her a disgrace to her family. She couldn’t help but wonder, why was their potions professor lurking in dark hallways, and what was behind that door?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Connecting Dots</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Glimmer and Catra are really smart, Adora is so pretty.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adora can’t believe their luck as Catra leads her to the Hufflepuff common room without ever being seen. There had been a few students lounging near the fireplace, but they paid no mind to the first years. Adora could still hear the distressed breaths escape from the girl next to her. Just a few moments later they find themselves in Catra’s room. The close call with Professor Hordak rings in her mind as Catra lights a lamp in the corner of the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had parted ways with Glimmer just a few minutes ago, and Adora hopes the girl will fare just as well as they had. After a few clicks, the room is no longer darkened. The dim glow illuminates Catra’s features, and Adora recognizes fear in the small girl’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hordak certainly is a force to be reckoned with, and if Adora hadn’t been trained to deal with stressful situations, she too would have been startled. She wants to tell Catra just that, but knows she shouldn’t reveal too much about herself. She had already confessed far too much about her own life to the girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of speaking, Adora slowly walks toward the shorter girl and slides her arms around her waist. She recalls this is what Bow would do to Glimmer whenever she seemed to be having a bad day. Catra’s head rests on her shoulder, and Adora’s breath catches in her throat. At first the hug is stiff and Adora can feel Catra shake gently in her grasp. After a few more seconds, her breathing slows and she relaxes into the embrace. She even brings her own arms to rest on Adora’s shoulders. They stay like that for some time, until eventually, Catra loosens the grip and steps back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She uses her sleeve to wipe some of the water from her eyes and looks at the ground in embarrassment. Adora knew from past observations Catra preferred to seem strong, and rarely let down her barriers. Catra clears her throat and puffs her shoulders. The smaller girl finally finds her voice, it now only wavers a little.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine, I just wasn’t expecting what we saw.” She shyly finds Adora’s eyes in the dim light, trying to determine if she actually believes her. Adora just nods her head and tries to hide the blush creeping up her neck. The hug had been one of the few moments of comforting physical contact Adora had ever experienced. She's sure Shadow Weaver would never approve of anything that allowed for such vulnerability, but in the moment she couldn’t bring herself to care.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A nervous silence blanketed the room, as neither girl was sure what to say next. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Adora excuses herself to the bathroom so she can get ready for bed. When she comes back Catra is already asleep or at least pretending to be. Adora climbs into the spare bed and Melog jumps up next to her and proceeds to curl up at her feet. Eventually, she falls into a restless sleep. Tomorrow they would have a lot to discuss.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adora carefully polishes the illuminated vase, it was decorated with a mix of jewels and gold seams. It depicted a beautiful scene of a group of faceless bodies dancing around a flowered field. She would have been impressed by the intricacy of the art if this had not been the twentieth artifact she had dusted off this night. Professor Arron’s office was brimming with vases, plates, and even some ancient weapons. He had explained that they were all from the time of the First Ones. Then he told them to clean every last one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora had never imagined that she might end up in detention, but here she was. The professor stayed in the room to supervise the cleaning, and to make sure they didn’t break anything. He seems like a nice man, and Adora has no one to blame but herself for the punishment. Behind her, Glimmer and Catra clean the pictures hanging from the walls, the people living in the frames would occasionally berate their dusting techniques.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was nowhere near what Shadow Weaver would do when she was in charge of Adora’s schooling. Detention at home often meant battling dark monsters through the night, or running from werewolves on a full moon. Shadow Weaver’s methods of schooling always served to strengthen Adora’s mind and magic. Professor Arron’s served to polish his collection and talk the ears off of the students.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whole time they had been scrubbing, he had recalled what seemed like the entire history of the First Ones. Adora wasn’t sure that this was an active component of their punishment, or if the man just loved history this much. The more he spoke, the more Adora was sure it was the latter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The room was noticeably more shiny than when the girls had first been called in by the professor after class. Originally, Adora had thought that he was going to congratulate them on their perfect test scores, she knew she had gotten every answer correct. The notes had worked exactly like Mermista said they would. Bow had insisted he would be fine without and silently boycotted the cheating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Professor Arron laid down the tests on his desk, outward-facing so the students could read the scores, his face was filled with disappointment. All three tests scored perfectly. Then he brought out Bow’s test, and the girls knew they were in trouble. Bow had only managed to score a forty-five, and he was by far the most knowledgeable in the subject. They would be required to serve five hours of detention for magical cheating, and their scores would be reverted to zeros.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora thinks this could potentially be a good time to talk about Hordak, but she doubted they could get the professor to leave them alone with his most precious collection. The man in question inspected the plate Adora had just finished polishing. This one depicted a blue beetle type bug kneeling to a man just a fraction of its own size. If Adora had to guess, she would have said the bug must have been over ten feet tall. He held it up to the light and gushed,</span>
</p>
<p><span>“Look how beautiful those elementals are, I never thought I’d ever be so lucky to see one in real life.” The three friends paused in their cleaning all at once. Adora thought back to last night and tries to remember what the potions professor had mumbled. She was sure it had to do with professor Arron and First One's magic. Glimmer seems to have the same idea and prods the man,</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Professor, I thought all of the elementals died when the First Ones disappeared?” The professor excitedly shook his head and began on another rant.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no Glimmer, there are still many wandering the world, even today. They are known to protect powerful First One’s magic, things like ruins, artifacts, and burial sites. It is true they are very rare, it is thought that the First One’s bred them as a kind of guard animal. Since the Great Disappearance, they have been declining in numbers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora had heard about the Great Disappearance in her classes, it had been the phenomenon of the entire First One’s population vanishing. There was very little actually known about the event, but to say it was critical to the history of magic would be an understatement. The First One’s had practically ruled the wizarding world since the beginning of time. They were thought by some to be a different race from wizards entirely, but there were some cases of children having one parent that was a wizard and another that was a First One.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora listens as the professor continues with his fascinating anecdote. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was lucky enough to find one during my time in South America. It was protecting an ancient temple when Muggles paved through the forest, destroying everything in sight. The poor thing was inconsolable, and ate about ten of them.” His eyes filled with anguish, but Adora didn’t think he was sympathetic to the humans. After a quick moment of retrospect, he continues with his wild tale.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My team was able to tranquilize them so they couldn’t do any more damage. Muggles can be so fickle you have to get the sleep spell just right or else there's a possibility they won’t ever wake up again. My theory on that is that they are so bored with their lives that they would rather stay asleep than have to wake up the next day,” he adds offhandedly. Shadow Weaver had told Adora before that the inhabitants of the wizarding world treated Muggles like animals, Adora wasn’t sure how accurate that had been before now. The way the man so casually mentions the deaths of the Muggles makes Adora squirm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra also seems affected by the story and her eyes widen at the startling flippancy of the statement. Adora recalls that the girl had grown up around Muggles, and she too appears to be appalled at the thought of putting them into an eternal sleep just to capture a creature. The professor doesn’t notice the girls’ discomfort and continues on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, recently we were able to bring the elemental back to the school and rehabilitate it. The whole process was rather easy once we paired it with a new First One’s artifact to protect.” Glimmer brings her hand to her chin, feigning interest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, that's so cool professor. What is it guarding now?” she digs. The man opens his mouth to answer her but instead is quickly gripped with fear and anxiety. His eyes widen as he realises just how much information, probably confidential information, he had let slip. He clears his throat and quickly excuses himself, hastily exiting the room. The three students lock eyes and meet at the plate the professor had left on his desk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora picks up the porcelain and evaluates the shiny blue creature depicted in jewels and paint. It certainly seems large enough to have made the noises behind the wooden door, even Hordak would have a hard time overpowering a creature of that strength. Catra is the first to speak after professor Arron leaves them alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That's gotta be it, right? Hordak was mad at Professor Arron’s First One’s magic and that thing behind the door almost took his leg off. Something like this definitely could have done it. Besides, he basically just told us that there's one in the castle right now.” Adora and Glimmer nod, agreeing with the assessment. Adora wonders out loud,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why is it in the castle, and what is it protecting?” She hears Glimmer gasp and brings her hands to cover her face in excitement. The girl quickly explains her theory,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It must be that mirror that the dark wizard was after. I overheard the head Auror in my mom’s office the other day, he was very angry that someone was able to get so close to it.” Her excitement fades and her eyes fill with sadness. “They thought my Dad had something to do with the break-in and took him to be interrogated at the Ministry, he's not actually on a business trip.” She grew silent and Adora brought a hand to rest on the girl’s shoulder, hoping to comfort her friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer showed her a small smile and continued with her suspicion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My aunt said that they increased the security around the mirror, that has to include the elemental. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that's not all, this seemed like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>big deal. It makes sense that it has to do with the First Ones, they made some very powerful magical artifacts before they disappeared.” Adora’s features display the confusion she is feeling, and the Gryffindor asks,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What does the mirror do, why would the dark wizard want it? And why did we see Hordak fighting the elemental if it's protecting it? He’s a teacher here, wouldn’t he also want to make sure no one gets to the mirror?” Catra thinks for a moment before proposing her own theories,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What if Hordak is working with the dark wizard, and he’s the one that let him in? That would explain why he was in the room, he was trying to get to the mirror after the dark wizard failed at doing... whatever he was doing.” At this Glimmer looks to the Hufflepuff with curiosity written on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know that the dark wizard failed? We know the mirror is still here, but what if he used the enchanted toad to alter it somehow?” Adora thinks back to when they first witnessed the dark wizard, and how he stole the extinct enchanted item.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knew she was just one of many pawns in Shadow Weaver’s plan, but sometimes she couldn’t help but wish she was kept more in the loop. On the other hand, the less she knows of her plans, the less she has to lie to her friends. She couldn’t recall ever hearing Hordak’s name from Shadow Weaver, but wouldn’t put it past her to have a professor in her pocket. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra rubs the back of her neck and looks a bit embarrassed before she explains what she knows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I may have overhead your Dad and Aunt talking about it.” Adora thinks her friends may have a serious problem with minding their own business and makes a mental note to be careful what she says around them. She doesn’t want to be the one to ruin Shadow Weaver’s complicated agenda. “Professor Castaspella said that they didn’t shatter the glass and that he altered the enchantment, but your Dad disagreed. He said there was no need to worry and that the mirror hadn’t changed at all.” Her eyebrows furrowed and she seems to be thinking deeply. “There was another thing, the mirror has an inscription on it, kind of like a poem. I don’t remember all of it, but I think the gist was that shattered glass would wake someone up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three girls take a moment to think about all they had just heard, and all the dots they seemed to connect. Adora internally struggles, she desperately wants to tell them of Shadow Weaver’s plans to save the world, but she isn’t sure if they are ready. If Shadow Weaver wanted to break the mirror, then the mirror would break. She always got what she wanted, she was just too powerful to stop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Trouble Finds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In a short chapter, the best friend squad seeks help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Ravenclaw common room was their first destination after exiting detention. They all felt that Bow would be their best source of perspective on the issue. After all, he was the smartest person they knew. The riddle hadn’t been as simple to Catra as the first one they heard the last time they visited.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hark the crimson kingdom yells, count the old and silent knock, retrace his footsteps from here to hell, when lions meet the clock</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” They easily determine it had to do with Gryffindor, but besides that they do not know. Catra tries several guesses before calling the door a few choice words and kicking the wood. After a few minutes waiting at the entrance, a Ravenclaw comes up behind them, and after hearing the riddle utters,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“James Hunt.” The three girls look to each other in confusion as the door unlocks. The boy holds the door open for them and explains., “He’s the inventor of the magical clock, he’s known as one of the smartest Gryffindors ever.” If any of the girls recognize the name they show no visible tells. Catra mentally counts herself lucky she wasn’t assigned to Ravenclaw, or else she might be spending a lot more time sitting in front of the common room waiting for some nerd to come around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The room is filled with students studying for classes or examining thousand-page novels as if it is just a bit of light reading. They easily find the boy they are looking for, he is playing chess by himself in the corner of the common room. He moves a piece and quickly hits the timer, causing the magic to activate and move one piece of the other color. They walk up to him just as his rook is smashed by the white bishop. He seems to be visibly upset with the casualty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bow, we have to talk to you,” Glimmer hurriedly whispers, causing the unsuspecting Ravenclaw to jump. He unfocuses from his game and views his tired friends, their robes covered in a thin layer of dust. Catra had been sneezing every few minutes as the particles tickled her nose. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hey guys. How was detention?” He says a bit sarcastically, before being pulled out of the chair by Glimmer. They shuffle over to the small secluded room where Mermista had brought them to just yesterday. Bow grumbles a bit about how he is in the middle of a game and was sure he could turn it around, but Glimmer doesn’t loosen her grip. Catra shuts the door behind them once all four friends have filed in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bow stands in the middle of the room, looking at his friends expectantly. The girls look to each other, unsure as to where to start the story. A lot has happened in the past few hours and they desperately need to update the Ravenclaw. Glimmer speaks up first,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“After we got the notes yesterday,  we were on our way back to the dorms but we found a hidden hallway…” She explains how they hid from Hordak and how he was injured by a creature behind the door. Catra vividly remembers the explosion and the deafening thumping of the creature against the wooden door. She still has no idea how the flimsy covering was able to hold a creature of that magnitude.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bow listens intently, occasionally nodding as the information flows into his head. Catra can practically see the gears turning as they speak. She then recalls what Bow’s father had accidentally let slip during detention. Catra includes what she had overheard while flying, and how she thinks Hordak may be working with the dark wizard that had been let in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, all information is set on the table and Bow takes a few minutes to process everything he has just heard. After a few moments, he looks at his friends before pulling a book from his bag. Catra can barely read the label but it appears to be a rather old book, covered in scratches and water damage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I found this in the library, and wanted to do more research on the mirror. I thought maybe it would contain information that could help your dad.” Glimmer’s lips quiver at the admission. Appreciation for her best friend shines in her eyes and she throws her arms around the boy, hugging him tightly. They embrace for a few seconds, and Catra thinks back to last night when Adora had comforted her much in the same way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had still yet to address any of the awkwardness that occurred afterward. When they had been surprised in the hallway, Catra had been frozen in fear once again. She was frustrated by her lack of ability in dangerous situations, and the fact that Adora never seemed to need her help like Catra had needed Adora’s. She breaks out of her thoughts in time to see Glimmer place a chaste kiss on Bow’s cheek. A blush rises to his face and he averts his eyes, but not before Catra sees his lips form a smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer slowly releases the boy from her embrace and Bow stutters a bit before continuing on with his findings.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This book covers an array of First One’s magic and enchantments. I thought the mirror had sounded familiar after you told me what happened in your mom’s office. I think this is what I was remembering,” he points at a torn page in the aged novel. Catra squints at the small waterlogged words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mirror prism?” Adora reads out loud, questioning the Ravenclaw. Bow also squints to look at the paper, the smudged words are very unclear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought it said mirror brison, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. Maybe it is prism?” Catra picks up the book, angling it while she tries to read the page. She doesn’t quite agree with either of her friend’s interpretations of the information but can’t think of anything more probable. Glimmer huffs after inspecting the book herself,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We don’t need to know what it's called, just why everyone is so worried about it. What does it do?” Bow turns the page carefully to show the girls the enchantment description and a crude drawing of the object in question. Catra can very easily read this page, it appears to be in much better condition than most of the book.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The mirror holds an inscription that reads, </span>
  <em>
    <span>even those locked in forced slumber will awaken to the melody of shattered glass. A melody that can only be plucked on frayed heartstrings.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Bow reads off the page, exactly as it is written. “I’ve been trying to decipher this, but I haven't gotten far. Forced slumber is pretty obvious, it puts someone to sleep. I think breaking the mirror would wake them up, by breaking the enchantment.” He looks back to the book, further inspecting the final words of the inscription. “It’s the last part I’m unsure about. What does frayed heartstring mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra herself had been wondering that, she also wondered what a dark wizard would want with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We shouldn’t forget that the intruder stole a First One’s artifact, one that can enchant an enchantment. We have to assume that he used that on the mirror.” All this back and forth was beginning to give Catra a headache, and her friends seem to be suffering the same. The frustration and fear in the air is palpable. They all know that this is above their heads, and that they were severely under qualified to do anything about all of this. Bow finally speaks up, slicing through the silence that had fallen on the students. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to be the one to say it, but I think we should take this to an adult.”  No one seems to want to agree with him, but they also don’t have any better ideas at this point. Catra knows that they are only first years, and just a couple weeks into classes, but she couldn’t help but feel accomplished by figuring all this out. She also did not want to get in trouble for sneaking around at night and listening in to others’ conversations. She wonders if they can confess the information while leaving out their rule-breaking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They arrive at an unspoken consensus and move to leave the common room. Glimmer had offered to tell her mother alone, but the friends insisted on going together or not at all. They had all broken rules, except Bow that is. Catra follows behind Glimmer as she leads them through the hallways and up the Headmaster’s tower. The stairs creaks and she has to duck once more to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer knocks three times on the wooden door and they await a response. Catra can hear shuffling and chairs moving when the door suddenly opens, startling the students. Standing before them is the defense against the dark arts teacher, professor Micah.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a split second Glimmer launches herself at her father, and he catches her in his arms. The man stumbles a bit before regaining his footing and happily swinging his daughter in circles. Catra feels like they are intruding on a precious familial moment. She can only imagine how relieved she would be if that had been her in Glimmer’s place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Behind the embrace, Catra can see the Headmaster and Professor Castaspella rise from their seats beside the mahogany desk. The women gesture to the other students to come inside. There is a small sitting area in the left-most corner of the room where Bow instinctively knows to wait. Catra and Adora follow behind him, careful not to disturb the touching reunion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The seat she takes is next to Bow, in a short wooden chair with a plush purple cushion embroidered with stars. The group respectfully waits for Glimmer to detach herself from her father before they begin speaking. Catra watches as the girl uses her cloak to rub the tears from her eyes. Her father had been just as joyous to see his daughter. He places a kiss on her forehead before leading her over to sit with the others. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With everyone now seated the Headmaster looks to her daughter,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you know your father had come back? I hadn’t sent for you yet, we were just discussing his trip.” Glimmer sniffles and looks at her feet before shyly responding,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t know, we came up here to talk to you about something else.” She took a deep breath before addressing her father. “I know you weren’t on a business trip, I overheard the head Auror take you away for interrogation.” No one dares to move after Glimmer’s admittance of her crimes. The air in the room was tense, and Catra tried to slink deeper into her seat, as she could feel her companions do the same. Professor Micah took Glimmer’s hand in his own and spoke to her softly,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry you heard that, I can’t imagine what you must have been going through this last week. It is true that I was brought to London, but most Aurors are good people, and I was generally treated with respect.” Glimmer nodded and hardly refrains from tearing up once more. The Headmaster and Professor Castaspella react in a much more heated manner. Glimmer’s mother was on her feet in an instance ready to yell at her daughter, but the look on her husband’s face must resonate with the woman because she sits down just as quickly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Headmaster lets out a controlled breath, but lets Glimmer continue with her explanation. The sparkly girl stutters for a bit under the chilling gaze of her mother but eventually manages to return to the tale. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We think Professor Hordak is working with the dark wizard, we saw him leaving the room the elemental is in, where it's guarding the mirror.” The adults' faces contort in stunned silence. Castaspella grips the handles on the chair and directs her response to the Headmaster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As much as I despise Captain Lashor, I think he might have been right about increasing defenses, if a handful of first-years can find all this in less than a week imagine how much one of her shadow spies could uncover. That is just poor security.” Bow looks between the adults before excitedly interrupting,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So we’re right?! Hordak let in the wizard so they could steal the Toad of Double Enchanting, imbue it with power using an enchantment stone, making it active again, then using the now working Toad to enchant the enchantment on the First One’s mirror. You are unsure what exactly they did to it so you doubled down on security that includes an elemental bonded to the mirror. Now Hordak is trying to get to it, to break it, and wake up someone?” Micah lets out a low whistle after Bow finishes his loud rant. The Headmaster breaks from her stupor and responds to Bow’s verbal essay,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you kids have time for classes when you clearly have been spending all your time sneaking around and sticking your noses in business that is decidedly not yours?” She huffs and squeezes the bridge of her nose in frustration.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Children, you have no idea what you have stumbled upon, and no Bow, you are not correct, at least not completely. Professor Hordak is a trusted member of this staff and he is one of the many professors here involved in the defense of the mirror.” She speaks in a manner that leaves no room for arguments.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Speaking of classes, I heard from Lance that you were given detention, is that right?” She looks to her daughter and the two girls sitting beside her. They all nod their heads together, Catra is beginning to think this may have been a bad idea. None of the adults seem to be taking their findings seriously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They entered the room with heads full of theories and determination, but they left disheartened with orders to stay away from anything to do with the mirror. The Headmaster told them if they found any more trouble, their parents would be contacted and they would be banned from all extracurricular activities for the entire year. Catra had a sinking suspicion that even if they stayed out of trouble, trouble would still manage to find them.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Clubbing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The gang decides what extracurriculars they will join.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adora’s first year at Hogwarts had been very busy, even after the friends decided to follow the Headmaster’s instructions and try to stay away from all business to do with the First One’s mirror. Adora was sure if she messed up again Kyle would take the brunt of the punishment. She would not let that happen to the boy, not if she could help it. </p>
<p>While Glimmer spoke to her mother, Adora could not stop her trembling as she sat in the Headmaster’s office, she constantly felt as if she would be found out. Adora knew she shouldn't have gotten emotionally invested in anyone close to the Headmaster, especially her only child, but her friends brought her a joy she had never felt before. She just couldn’t bring herself to push them away, no matter how selfish it may have been. Adora thought that if she did as Shadow Weaver told her, there was a possibility she would spare the Headmaster and her family. </p>
<p>Just a few days after her detention she received her first letter from Shadow Weaver. She had been sitting alone at breakfast, while her friends slept in, when an owl flew in through the window. She easily recognized it as Swift Wind, and he softly landed on her outstretched arm. The bird pushed his head into Adora’s open hand, she took the hint and pet the owl under his chin. The bird reveled in the touch and shook out his feathers when Adora’s fingers halted the scratching. The letter gently floated onto the table, a tawny envelope covered in protection spells.</p>
<p>Adora had always been able to naturally identify when magic was near, a very rare skill. Shadow Weaver had insisted on honing her gift, this was often done by blindfolding the girl before dueling. </p>
<p>Swift Wind jumps from her arm and spreads his wings wide. He was out the window before Adora could blink twice. She eyes the package with disdain, knowing whatever was written was sure to ruin her day. She tears the top off, not bothering to be careful, and pulls the letter from its container. She steadies her hands and focuses her eyes on the note.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em> My Dearest Adora, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I have heard from my shadows that you are excelling in your classes, I expected nothing less from my star pupil. I also received news of your unjust detention, this only serves to prove the wicked nature of the Professors they allow to teach in that wretched school. Your greatness is so incredible, few can fathom it without creating excuses to try to disprove your power.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Even with the highest bar set, you somehow manage to surprise me with your ingenuity. The brilliance of befriending the Headmaster’s daughter is unmatched, and I frankly was stunned that I hadn’t thought of that myself. In addition to that, you have grown close to a Hufflepuff born from a family of Slytherins. She could come in use, especially since Kyle botched the original plan. But do not let your friendships distract you from the mission. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> It has also come to my attention that you have grown rather popular due to your run-in with my shadow soldier. This will work in our favor, I believe it is time to begin the next phase of your assignment. You will lead the battle when the time comes, so you must become a leader. You will join the dueling club, prove your strength and they will follow you. I also encourage you to join other activities and get to know your classmates. As much as I despise the sport, the entire school has always been obsessed with the game of Quidditch. Next year you will make the Gryffindor team, so practice your flying. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> This will be my last correspondence before winter. The ministry has been getting more aggressive, and it will be more difficult for me to keep in contact. Unless I send a follow up saying otherwise, you and the other three should remain at the school over the break. My shadows will be watching, so follow orders and continue to grow stronger. Do not disappoint me.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> -SW </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Adora finishes reading just as a hand clamps down on her shoulder, causing her to jump and bring her wand to her attacker. Catra holds up her hands in surrender; startle and bemusement show on her face. </p>
<p>“Jeez Adora, I was just saying good morning. I promise I won’t steal any of your breakfast.” Adora lets out a shaky breath and lowers the weapon. She’s a bit embarrassed and a light blush creeps up her neck. Catra doesn’t seem too offended and sits down next to where Adora’s breakfast resides. Today her hair is pulled into a high ponytail, the thick locks looking as if they would burst through the thin hair tie any second. </p>
<p>Contrary to what she had just promised, she plucks a slice of bacon off of Adora’s plate. The blonde can’t help but roll her eyes, and goes to sit down next to the Hufflepuff. Shadow Weaver’s letter had instilled worry into her. She knew she was being watched, but she wasn’t sure of the extent before this message. At least Catra would be safe from her plans, at least for now. </p>
<p>The girl munching on Adora’s meal notices the letter on the table and goes to read the message. Before Adora can stop her, the letter is gripped in Catra’s hands.</p>
<p>“Is this from your parents?” She asks before allowing her eyes to roam over the note. Adora inhales forcefully, and tries to grab the paper away from her nosy friend. “What language is this?” Adora sighs in relief as she realizes the protective charms must be doing their jobs, muddling the information beyond comprehension. Catra continues to squint at the paper until it is snatched from her grasp. Behind her stands a student dressed in the Slytherin uniform; perched on the perfectly straightened robes is a prefect pin. </p>
<p>The girl folds up the note neatly and hands the paper back to Adora. She watches as Catra crosses her arms and huffs at the interruption. The taller girl looks at Adora and extends a hand in greeting.</p>
<p>“Hello, you must be Adora, the Gryffindor with the eyes as blue as the sky.” Adora’s eyebrows rise at the odd phrasing, but she doesn’t have a chance to question what the girl means before Catra rockets out of her seat and tackles the Slytherin. They both forcefully fall to the floor, but Catra appears undeterred and continues to push the taller girl, inflicting very little actual damage.</p>
<p>There were very few people in the great hall this early in the day, but Adora notices as a tall figure slowly walks toward the kerfuffle. He stands over the two wiggling bodies until they cease their movements. The dark presence draws the eyes of the girls to the intimidating professor. Hordak almost snarls at the students, his face contorted in anger.</p>
<p>“If it isn't the Meowiths, disturbing the peace once again. I thought I was done with these childish incidents when the twins graduated, but that goes to show you that you should never assume anything.” Catra and the Slytherin hastily stand up and wipe off their robes, both looking rather embarrassed. “I will be taking five points from Hufflepuff and Slytherin, do not ruin my breakfast again or you will both be given detention. Or do, and spend all weekend replenishing my beetle eye supply.” He does not give them a chance to respond before turning back to where he came, his robe swishing behind him.</p>
<p>When he is no longer looking at them, Catra shoves the girl one more time, careful not to attract Hordak’s unwanted attention. The taller girl just rolls her eyes and finally introduces herself to Adora,</p>
<p>“Hello again, sorry for that, he’s always in a sour mood. Anyway, I’m Noelle, Catra’s sister.” Adora accepts the handshake and thinks she can see the family resemblance in both their physical aspects and personality. “I have heard a lot about you, I am so happy Catra has been able to make friends. She can be a bit prickly sometimes, I’m sorry she took your letter, she should know better than that.” She pointedly looks at her younger sister, who just rolls her eyes.</p>
<p>Adora nods and shakes the prefect’s hand. She pockets the letter, making a mental note to burn it later before the spells have a chance to wear off. To her surprise, Noelle sits down on the bench opposite the girls. Adora hears Catra groan under her breath, and can’t help but giggle at the girl’s grumpy reaction. Her attention is pulled from the younger sibling when Noelle begins interrogating her. </p>
<p>“So Adora, I heard that you were the first year that dispatched the dark wizard last week. That's very brave of you, I’m glad Catra has a friend that is so capable.” Adora rubs the back of her neck, still unused to all the praise she was receiving. With Shadow Weaver, greatness was expected of her, and commendation was rarely directed to her as a person. Weaver saw Adora as a great weapon to use and harness.</p>
<p>She tries to refuse the acclaim, </p>
<p>“Oh, thank you, but it's not really a big deal. Besides, Catra was also there, if I hadn’t cast first I’m sure she would have. She’s the brave one, not me.” She suddenly feels a sharp pain in her side, she looks over to see her friend’s elbow lodged under her ribs. Catra makes a motion with her hands, indicating that Adora should shut up. Noelle’s head instantly turns to face her sister, outrage in her eyes. </p>
<p>“You were there?! Why didn’t you tell me, I have to tell our family!” She begins to break down, listing off things that could have gone wrong. Catra tries to shush the girl and leans over the table to grab her hand and stop the eccentric rant. </p>
<p>“We're not telling anyone, there's no reason to worry them. It’s already over and nothing bad happened. Besides, Adora was with me, and she's crazy talented with magic. There’s no way I'll get hurt with her around.” Adora gulps at the implication, and she can feel the weight on her shoulders increase. Internally she is delighted that her friend believes in her so fully, but now she is even more sure she has to grow stronger to protect those who rely on her. </p>
<p>The Slytherin calms slightly and releases her iron grip on the table. After a few moments she nods, agreeing with her sister.</p>
<p>“Fine, maybe you are right, but I implore you to stay out of dangerous situations.” She seems to shake the concern from her features and refocuses on Adora. </p>
<p>“Well then, I guess I have even more reason to thank you. I do have to admit that was not my only motivation for introducing myself.” She pulls her bag into her lap and takes out a green-colored paper that she then hands to the Gryffindor. The graphics on the paper drift across the page, causing two wands to point at each other and release sparks made of ink. The notice advertises the Hogwarts Dueling Club. Adora looks back at Noelle, who is wearing an enthusiastic smile. </p>
<p>“I’ve been speaking with Professor Castaspella and she tells me that you are coming along very nicely in her class, she even compared your skill to mine.” She turns to direct her next few words at her sister, “She also mentioned that you were the second in the class to cast lumos, very impressive.” Adora thinks she can see Catra’s chest puff up at the compliment. “I’ve come to the very logical conclusion that you should both join the club. We spend equal time studying the history of charms and practicing practical combative magic.”</p>
<p>Adora thinks the timing of her invitation might be construed as suspicious and wonders for a moment if it was a coincidence that she had just read Shadow Weaver’s letter or if there was some magic at play here. Nevertheless, she must accept the proposition, it is exactly what Weaver had commanded of her. </p>
<p>“Sure, it sounds like fun. Catra,” she looks to the girl sitting on her right, “what do you think?” Catra pulls the green paper from her hands and inspects the information. A smile forms on her face and she excitedly nods her head.</p>
<p>“I get to blast losers with magic? Yeah Adora, that does sound like fun.” Noelle informs them of when they meet and what to bring before bidding farewell and moving closer to her other prefect friends.</p>
<p>Adora looks over to her Hufflepuff friend, who has now devoured half of Adora’s breakfast plate. She jokingly pulls the plate away from her, trying to preserve at least some of the meal. Catra just giggles and munches on the apple she had stolen from the blonde. Adora finally takes a bite of her own breakfast before expressing her apologies to the girl.</p>
<p>“Hey, I’m sorry about before, I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with your sister. I didn’t know that dark wizard thing was a secret.” Catra just shrugs and swallows the mouthful. </p>
<p>“It doesn’t matter, I just didn’t want to worry my parents, they can be a little overprotective. What did your parents say when you told them you single-handedly took out an evil warlock?” She playfully speaks the last few words in a deep sarcastic voice. Adora can’t help but roll her eyes at Catra. She was mindful to choose her next words carefully.</p>
<p>“They were proud but told me to stay out of trouble. Shad-, um, my mother wants me to join some clubs, to make more friends. They also really want me to make the Quidditch team next year.” Catra looks at her wide-eyed after her last statement. </p>
<p>“Um, Adora, you know you have to fly in Quidditch, right?” The girl looks rather skeptical of the idea. Adora can’t really blame her, the most she had done on a broom is hover for a few seconds before plowing directly into another student. Just then, they are interrupted from their conversation by their two friends bickering. Glimmer and Bow can be heard as soon as they enter the great hall.</p>
<p>“Bow, that club is for losers, only children play Gobstones.” She pushes a pamphlet into his hands and presses her own point, “We should join fun extracurriculars, like Charms Club or Brooms Club.” Adora and Catra laugh as the boy pulls out his own pamphlet, the font resembling a chessboard.</p>
<p>“What about the Chess Club? All the most knowledgeable Hogwarts Alum were masters at chess.” He begins to list off names of prestigious and notable graduates that Adora was sure she had never heard before. Glimmer groans loudly and plops down opposite of Catra and Adora. She tries to stop the information from reaching her by shoving fingers into her ears. Bow finally relents when he realizes no one else seems to care about his knowledge of Hogwarts history. </p>
<p>Glimmer pulls her hands away from her face and grabs a piece of toast from Adora’s plate. A disgruntled Adora tries to stop the onslaught of attackers against her meal, but is too slow.</p>
<p>“Hey, you know you can get your own food,” She grunts in frustration. Glimmer shakes her head and jokingly defends her actions.</p>
<p>“Yeah we could, but why would we when you always bring enough for the entire table?” All three of her friends laugh in agreement. Adora huffs but relents, and allows her friends to grab food from her many plates. After they have had their fill, Bow turns to the other two girls,</p>
<p>“Were you thinking about joining any clubs?” Catra quickly nods and explains that Noelle had just asked them to join the Hogwarts Dueling Club. At this, Glimmer’s eyes expand, suddenly very excited.</p>
<p>“Really? Do you think we can join too?” Catra nods and hands the green advertisement to the short girl. Bow scans the paper over Glimmer’s shoulder and they both agree that it seems to be the coolest club offered at the school. Catra also explains that she would be interested in joining the Brooms Club, an organization that instructs students on more advanced flying maneuvers and styles. </p>
<p>“Adora if you really want to get on the Quidditch team you should join with me; we can practice together.” Bow and Glimmer look apprehensive at the thought of Adora somehow managing to get on the sports team, after all, they had been there for her spectacular failure. Neither of them says anything against the idea, surely anyone could improve with some coaching and practice. There was no way she could get worse.</p>
<p>Adora wonders how she will have time for everything on top of all her classes. Even with the added pressure, she can’t help but feel a bit excited. The smiling faces of her friends lessen her worries about the grand endeavor she is about to take on. At least she has trustworthy companions she can look to if she ever needs help, a feeling she had never experienced before. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If anyone wants to send me She-Ra memes or fan art, I just made an Instagram account, LoveTheWorldLikeiShouldao3.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. First Dance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The gang gets ready for the Halloween party, and someone needs to teach Adora how to dance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Catra couldn’t help but feel like she had been lied to. Noelle had made Dueling Club sound like an adrenaline ride, an amazing experience where she could blast other students off their feet. In reality, the first six meetings had been entirely focussed on the history of the sport, proper wand etiquette, and even an entire week dedicated to watching and analyzing old championship matches. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Catra brought this up to the Slytherin prefect, she had been told to be patient and that eventually, they would get to real dueling, but that they had to begin with the basics. Student safety was the number one priority of the organization. She was far from alone in her grumblings, as Glimmer and Adora were also growing impatient with the club. Bow was the only member that always showed up with a smile on his face and a quill in his hand to take innumerable notes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had been experiencing more intense and suspenseful moments in the Ravenclaw book club she had joined to keep Adora company than the literal Dueling Club. The girls would often take turns reading out loud while lounging in Catra’s dorm room. Sometimes they would read from the same copy, making funny voices and acting out the scenes. They had only grown closer with every passing day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As much as Catra enjoyed the quiet hours of reading Mer-Mysteries, her favorite pastime had to be soaring over the castle in Brooms Club. Coach Huntara led the exercises and facilitated the practices. She had taken a special interest in Catra ever since her initial flight. She would often pull the girl to the side to give her more advanced pointers, and had even told Catra that she would make an excellent seeker, which caused a huge smile that didn’t leave her face, even as she slept that night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora, on the other hand, seemed to be tethered to the earth. No matter how hard she pushed off with her feet, she barely made it more than a few inches into the air. As much as Catra tried to help the girl, point out where her grip is off, and how to think freeing thoughts, nothing seemed to work. Even Coach Huntara seemed to rethink her “everyone can fly” mentality after the tenth time Adora wound up face-first in the mud. The only one seemingly undeterred was Adora herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Gryffindor often got frustrated with her lack of progress, but never considered dropping the club. Catra’s adoration for the girl only grew the more she watched Adora fail horribly. With every stumble, she got right back on her feet. It was easy to take advantage of natural talent and excel in classes and clubs to do with that inherent ability, but it was something else altogether to work hard at something she had shown no progress in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra knew eventually Adora would soar, there was no stopping the girl. Even if she had little to no natural ability, her physical skills would easily make up for it. Whenever Coach made them run laps, Adora was always the first at the finish line. Catra noticed that many of the pureblood students had trouble with the non-magical aspects of the sport, and wondered if that was a consequence of the lack of purely physical sports offered in the wizarding world.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora could run, jump, and lift more than any other student in the club. If she could just get the broom into the air she would make an excellent beater for the Gryffindor team. For a girl who had shown no interest in the sport when she first met her, Adora was dead set on making the team next year. Catra often found her new friend to be a little odd, but that was part of her charm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even with everything else on her plate, Catra had decided on taking one additional extracurricular without any of her new friends, Potions Club. She continued to excel in Professor Hordak’s courses and she decided she would join the horrid Professor’s after class curricular. Everyone in her family had been in the club when they attended the school. This unfortunately meant that her older sister also arrived each week, carrying her cauldron on her hip. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was just as annoying and pretentious as ever. At least in Potions Club she wasn’t directly in charge of Catra, unlike the Dueling Club. She may have been a senior member of Hordak’s association, but that did not mean that he favored her. In fact, it seemed like he automatically despised all Meowiths. Catra chalked this up to her older siblings’ antics when they had studied at the school. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hordak yelled and degraded the girls at every opportunity, and she wondered how Noelle was able to take this abuse for five years. Catra didn’t know if she would have continued to attend the club if it hadn’t been for her ulterior motive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though the Headmaster had ordered Glimmer and her friends from interfering or looking into the strange goings relating to the mirror, Catra was not so easily deterred. Maybe it had to do with all the Mer-Mysteries she had been reading, but to Catra, not all the pieces matched up. Catra reckoned that it might have to do with her Potions Professor. She still thought he had something to do with the dark wizard incident, and must be guilty of something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As long as she was able to keep an eye on him, she could remain vigilant of his movements. After the first incident, he never came to class limping again. Catra considered this a good sign, meaning he hadn’t tried to get past the elemental since the last time the girls had found him in the secret hallway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Between all of her classes, clubs, and self-appointed secret mission, the school year was flying. Before she knew it, two full months had passed her by. The entire castle was abuzz with energy, everyone seemed ready to celebrate Halloween. Decorative lights danced in the hallways and great hall, classes held off on giving them weekend homework in consideration, and Noelle had promised they would finally be practicing actual dueling today, after the Halloween party the school was sponsoring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The prefects had been very busy all week preparing the event. Even Mermista, who had a reputation for shirking her prefect duties, had canceled this week's Book Club in order to help out. Catra wasn’t sure what she was more excited for, a weekend without any homework, attending her first-ever party, or dueling tonight. Her sparkly friend had made it very obvious as to what she was most eager for.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Halloween Ball, AHHH. It’s going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” She flutters around Catra’s room, spinning herself by pushing off one of the bedposts. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to attend. My father always says that it's the most fun party of the year, but they’ve never let me go before because I wasn’t an </span>
  <em>
    <span>official </span>
  </em>
  <span>student.” She gestures air quotes around her words, then spins once more in order to face her friends, “There's fireworks, a feast, and even dancing!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra had heard much of the same from her older siblings, the entire family loves to celebrate Halloween. She had very fond memories of dressing as a kitten and carrying around a pillowcase to beg her neighbors for candy. This year was bound to be different from all the holidays that came before. For one, the only family that she would see today was her older sister, and Catra couldn’t help but feel a bit homesick at the thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was internally very grateful that she wouldn’t have to spend the holiday completely alone. Bow and Glimmer had been daydreaming about the event all week, and a portion of their excitement had rubbed off on Catra. The only member of their friend group who wasn’t shaking with elation was Adora. It had been an awful shock to everyone when the blonde confessed that her family didn’t usually celebrate the holiday, or any holidays really.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had only taken a few moments for Bow to collect himself and lecture the girl on the entire history of Halloween. When he was finished explaining the wizarding world’s customs and traditions, Catra had taken it upon herself to divulge how muggles celebrated. To say Adora looked overwhelmed would be an understatement. The poor girl tried to take notes and ask the two questions, but they had been poor teachers due to their unbridled excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the end, the friends decided the only way for Adora to learn about Halloween was to experience it. That was the mentality that led them to Catra’s room this day. The discussion had been focused on how to make this the best first Halloween ever. Glimmer had insisted the party would be the best part of the holiday, and refused to hear otherwise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll finally be able to wear something other than this awful uniform, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ooh </span>
  </em>
  <span>maybe the dress from my last birthday?” She looks for approval from the Ravenclaw who is currently finishing up his extra credit paper. He doesn’t even look up from his work but gives a thumbs up, and immediately goes back to scribbling down notes. Glimmer groans and waves her hand in front of the boy’s face, trying to grab his attention. “Bow, that isn’t even due for another month. Take a break for a weekend, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bow looks conflicted between his pleading friend and his notebook. Reluctantly, he shoves the paper and quill into his bag and joins the conversation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, I suppose one weekend wouldn’t hurt. What were you talking about?” Catra can’t help but groan and cover her face in her hands. She simply could </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>listen to anymore moaning about how great the party would be. Glimmer completely ignores Catra’s grumblings and pulls Bow to his feet. She uses his hand to dramatically spin herself once more, her cloak swaying gracefully behind her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was trying to tell Adora about how great the party will be, the theme this year is Halloween Ball. That means we get to dress up!” Bow thinks for a moment before pointing at the sparkly girl and commenting,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should wear that dress from your last birthday, it was very pretty.” Glimmer squeals and jumps up and down, still holding the boy’s hand. Catra didn’t own many clothes that would fit the occasion and was very grateful that her mother had sent her an outfit in the mail. She had to assume Noelle had notified them earlier about the upcoming event. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora sits next to Catra on her bed, anxiously adjusting her position every few seconds. Glimmer continues on her dancing rampage, pulling Adora to stand and spin in a wide circle with her. While the Slytherin may have been graceful in her steps, the same could not be said for Adora, whose body is stiff as a board. Glimmer also notices this, stills, and lets go of the girl’s timid hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora do you know how to dance?” The blushing girl brings a hand to the back of her neck. She shakes her head, clearly a bit embarrassed. Catra thinks about the childhood Adora must have had, no parties, no celebrations, and no dancing. She had heard about some groups of muggles that forbade these things, but Adora never mentioned that she was associated with them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer seems to accept the challenge that no one had bestowed upon her. The girl claps her hands excitedly and proclaims,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well then, we will just have to teach you!” Catra feels a bit bad for the girl who would clearly rather be anyplace but here. The blonde shakes her head to decline the generous offer, but Glimmer is having none of it. The shorter girl grabs Adora’s hands and places them in the correct positionings. The steps were simple, even Catra was familiar with this specific dance. Usually, the taller of the partners would rest their right hand on the hip of the other, and the shorter would grip their partner’s shoulder. The unused hand would hold the partner’s in an upright position. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora’s awkward nature and clumsiness are immediately apparent when Glimmer starts leading her in circles. She is only able to take two steps before the taller girl tips over herself. They both end up in a tangle of limbs on the floor. Catra bursts into laughter at the showing, even Bow has to look away in order to remain stoic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girls help each other up and wipe their robes clean of dust. Glimmer seems to think for a moment, reevaluating her teaching methods. She ultimately decides that Adora needs to see how the dance should go before trying it herself. Bow easily volunteers himself as Glimmer’s newest dance partner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra is amazed by their grace and the elegance of their movements. The two had very clearly been paired up like this in the past. They are never out of step with the other, and there is no clear leader or follower. They work in tandem, a perfect synchronization. There is no music playing, but they both finished the steps at the exact same moment. Glimmer pretends to blow kisses into the crowd and Bow dips in a dramatic sweeping motion. Sounds of cheers and encouragement emanate from the two friends in the audience. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra is too busy laughing along with her friends to take notice when Glimmer grasps her hand and leads her to the center of the room. Before she can register what had happened, the small girl pushes Adora to stand in front of Catra. She quickly arranges her hands like before, but now instead of Adora’s right hand resting on Glimmer’s side, it is perched on Catra’s hip. The Hufflepuff instinctively wraps her own around the blonde’s shoulder and their remaining hands meet together in between their bodies. Catra can feel her ears redden, and a blush grows onto her features. Adora’s eyes seem to look everywhere but Catra. Glimmer steps back to observe their stance, eyebrows scrunched. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, this looks good. It’ll be easier for me to adjust your technique if I can see it from a distance. Go ahead, take a few steps.” Neither of them moves, and after a few seconds Glimmer grows impatient with their stubbornness. She softly kicks Catra’s shin to incentivize her to start the dance. Catra is able to break free of her embarrassed stupor and starts stepping in circles, slow enough that Adora has very little trouble following the motions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few circles around the room, the couple grows more comfortable, and their steps transition from stiff and shaky to generally very smooth. Glimmer claps and Bow cheers as they start to pick up the pace. Seemingly happy with their progress, Glimmer gives them new instructions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, try spinning her. Just bring your hands up, yes just like that!” Catra’s breath catches as Adora slowly and carefully raises her arm to allow her to spin out, and back into the steps. The initial spin works out well, with Catra extending toward her friends. She can see the huge smiles on their faces, clearly proud of their tutillage. When she completes the turn and begins to move back to the center of the room, her foot snags on a bit of the uneven flooring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra is sure that she is about to faceplant when Adora catches her hands and pulls her back into step. The hand on her hip tightens as her friend makes sure she is able to stand on her own. The stumble left Catra in a precarious position, her one hand firmly planted over Adora’s heart and the other gripped by Adora’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra’s breath caught in her throat as she locks eyes with the other girl. Neither moves, seemingly trapped by the tense atmosphere. This is promptly shattered by Glimmer and Bow as they congratulate their friends on their improvements in the dance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow guys, that was really great! Glimmer and I have had a lot of practice, but for your first time that was outstanding!” The boy grasps Catra’s shoulder, causing her to take a step back, away from Adora. She thanks them for the kind words, but her mind is far away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had never experienced anything like that single moment ever before. The way her hand fit perfectly into Adora’s and their natural chemistry in the dance shocked the girl. She wonders if Adora had felt similarly. At least she hoped she did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, this chapter is just pure shameless fluff and I love it. <br/>My Instagram is LoveTheWorldLikeiShouldao3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Boo!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Halloween Ball goes exactly as planned!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The great hall had certainly earned its name the night of Halloween. Lights of every color sparkled and danced in the dimness. Incredibly intricate pumpkin carvings lined the tables and occasionally floated overhead when attached to the head of a First One. The carvings ranged from generic smiles and animals to portraits of professors. Adora noticed that Hordak’s pumpkin had been vandalized with an added mustache and devil horns.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ghosts seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the holiday, many of them joining in the celebration or emerging from the floors to scare a few first years. They would cast faint shadows onto the tables when flying over the heads of the students. Adora had been ducking under the floating dead, knowing they couldn't actually bump into her, but every time one came near she pulled her cardigan a bit tighter around her. She attributed the crisp air in the room to the many poltergeists.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer had been kind enough to help Adora find something presentable to wear. She obviously hadn’t been given anything for the occasion from Shadow Weaver. If the woman was here, she surely would have told Adora to ignore the festivities and focus on her studies while the inferiors distract themselves. The maroon dress had been magically altered by Glimmer’s father when they told him of the problem. It had been Glimmer’s from the previous year, but was obviously too short for the Gryffindor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had never worn anything but combat-ready clothes and her Hogwarts uniform before, and couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious. Glimmer had tried to get her to let her hair out of the tie, but that was one thing she would not budge on. Most of the students wore clothing similar to what Adora and Glimmer had entered in. Sparkly dresses and neat collared shirts spanned the room. Catra and Bow had both opted for plain buttoned shirts and simple slacks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other main difference in decor tonight included the fact that the tables had once more been replaced by the traditional four house configuration. The Gryffindor table had already been mostly full when she entered the hall. They were known for their love of parties, and she doubted any would have missed one of the most popular events of the year. Sadly, this meant that the friends had to split up, at least for the opening ceremonies. Adora had found a seat next to Kyle, and he was frightened by every small movement made by the First Ones. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ghosts had noticed this and paid special attention to the boy. It had almost seemed like they had a bet on who could cause him to fly out of his seat the furthest. So far the winner had been the large, blood-covered soldier who only had one eye still in his possession. Adora thought Kyle might pass out when the transparent head emerged from the large salad bowl resting on the table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She longingly looks for her friends, all separated by house. She briefly catches Bow at the Ravenclaw table, and Glimmer sulking by the Slytherins. The sparkly girl had been particularly perturbed by the required seating arrangements. Her house had not forgotten the mishap in potions and continued to call her names and lock her out of the dorms. Adora too had been avoiding Slytherin, she hadn’t spoken to Lonnie since the incident in flying lessons.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She continues on her search for the girl who had been most on her mind today. Her breath catches when she finally finds Catra in the crowd of Hufflepuffs, the girl is looking directly back at her. Their eyes lock and time seems to stop around her. The golden and blue irises seem to peer into her soul and she can’t shake the new feelings of comfort and nervousness that seemed to settle in her heart each time she found herself near the girl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora can feel her heart speed up, just like it had done when Catra had fallen into her earlier. She isn’t quite sure what she is feeling, and can’t explain the pull the girl has on her. She is just about to stand, to move closer to Catra, when a student in front of her breaks the eye line to the girl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If it isn’t my favorite first-years!” The mustached Gryffindor holds his hands on his hips and strikes a heroic pose, one foot up on the bench. Adora tries to look past him, to find the gold and blue eyes once more, but she is unable to find Catra. She instead watches as the white-haired Hufflepuff stands in the place Catra had just been. She suspects that Scorpia had walked up to the girl, much like what Sea Hawk had just done to Adora. She gives up on her search and resigns to her seat with a sigh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is the best party of the year, at least for you. Trust me, there are many more parties, but they don't let just anybody into those. Maybe I could pull a few strings, I am known as the de-facto leader of Gryffindor.” When he winks, Adora has to force herself into a straight face. The not so humble brag and his overall demeanor irked the girl a bit. She had done her best to avoid him in the Dueling Club, but here, trapped at the Gryffindor table, there was nowhere to go. Before he can bestow any more upper-year wisdom to the students, the Headmaster stands. Just her mere presence commands the respect of the room and everyone quiets to let her speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She is wearing a somewhat festive robe, a deep purple with illusionary bats flapping inside the fabric. She appears to be much happier than the last time Adora had seen her, when she was reprimanding the students for sticking their noses where they shouldn't have. She waits until the room is completely silent to speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d very much like to congratulate you all on a successful two months at Hogwarts. Each and every one of you should be proud of your accomplishments. Today is a celebration of all your hard work and dedication. Please, feast, dance, and socialize.” Cheers loudly emanate from each table, and Adora’s ears ring. Party poppers explode and the ghosts twirl in the air. The students are ready to leave their seats, but halt when they realize the speech is not yet complete. The Headmaster clears her throat and continues, “We also have a special announcement from our newest professor.” She gestures to DT, who is standing in their preferred form near the Headmaster. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>DT’s outfit proves a clear contrast between all of the other professors who wear simple designs with demurred colors. They strut around the platform with the highest heels Adroa had ever seen and wears a voluptuous fusha boa draped around their neck. They dramatically bow, and a spotlight that had not before existed shines on them as they move across the stage. Their heels click on the wooden surface and Adora wonders if they had been forbidden from bringing the carpet along.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Students, it is my pleasure to bring you some much-needed entertainment. I have been working closely with Professor Castaspella to bring you, what I have been affectionately calling, the Dueling Dramatics!” They wave their wand in a large circle and the raised boards they had been standing on grow and transform into a regulation Dueling Court. Torches emerge from the ground until they illuminate the area in a flood of light. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tonight we will witness the ancient tradition of dueling from none other than our own Hogwarts Dueling Club!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cheering only grew louder at the declaration. The students had all been working nonstop and sorely needed some other distraction, as Quidditch wouldn’t even start training until November. Adora tried to observe Noelle, the Dueling Club Master, and was not surprised to see her fast walking toward Professor Castaspella. She was sure that the Slytherin prefect had not been informed of this newest development. Adora was sure that Noelle hadn’t mentioned anything about this in the last meeting. The first-years in the club hadn’t even begun to practice the dueling spells yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If DT notices the stomping Slytherin coming forward in anger, they do not show it. Instead, they continue explaining the rules of this makeshift tournament.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There will be one match from each year, and the participants will be drawn at random.” They flourish their wand and a wizarding hat filled with small slips of paper appears in their other hand. At this point in time, Noelle has reached the table where the rest of the professors are sitting and appears to be quickly discussing something with Professor Castaspella. The Slytherin is red in the face and Adora wouldn’t be surprised if she was lecturing the professor on the safety of the students. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even with all of the precautions and rules, the sport was always going to be dangerous. Adora had witnessed this first hand in practice when they would watch reruns of past championship matches. It was not unusual for a duel to end with broken bones or a concussion. Even the audience wasn’t completely safe, spells were often hard to control when the caster was placed under stress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The professor on stage seems to speed up the speech they had prepared as Noelle decides Castaspella will do nothing and moves to the professor facilitating the atrocious display. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We will begin with the first years, I have been told this will be their first official duel, so be kind to our contestants.” They reach into the hat and pull out two notes of parchment just as the Slytherin clammers up onto the stage. They quickly look at the names written down before throwing them back into the hat and proclaiming, “Our first match will be between Adora of Gryffindor and Glimmer of Slytherin!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instantly, the room fills with loud gasps and cheers. The Gryffindor table explodes in hurrah while the Slytherins seem to sink in their seats at the thought of the despised first-year representing them in a duel. Just then, Noelle reaches the stage and tries to draw attention to herself by whistling and waving her arms.</span>
</p>
<p><span>“There will be no duels tonight, we have not had time to prepare for this. We don’t want anyone to get hurt here.” DT rolls their eyes and brings the boa to wrap around Noelle’s shoulders to pull her closer.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Dearie, are you saying that you’ve had two full months to prepare them for the art of dueling and have failed? That doesn’t sound like the mark of a prefect.” Noelle sputters in anger for a moment and tries to find the words to argue with their statement. Before she has the chance, the professor struts around the stage, now addressing the eager students in the crowd. “And what about all these adoring fans? We don’t want to disappoint them,” they look over at the furious student, “do we?” </span></p>
<p>
  <span>Some students raise out of their seats in protest, especially at the Gryffindor table. She can hear a few choice words leave the students seated closest to her,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, let them duel!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re just scared cause Gryffindor is gonna wipe the floor with Slytherin.” Noelle tried to calm them, insisting that wasn’t the reason, but she could hardly speak over DT fanning the flames. Before she knew it, Adora was being pushed toward the stage, her shoes sliding across the ground as the platform got closer. Chants rise up from her house, clearly sure of their imminent victory.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shadow Slayer, Shadow Slayer, Shadow Slayer!” Her fame for standing up to the intruder had clearly not diminished in these last few months. Talk about how well she picked up on charms and transfiguration also spread as rumors across the common rooms. Adora didn’t want to duel Glimmer, especially not in front of such a large crowd. She was trained to take down the enemy using any means necessary, and she worried she might hurt the Slytherin on accident.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Adora was practically carried to the stage, Glimmer slowly shuffled up, her eyes trained on the ground. Instead of cheering for their housemate, the Slytherin table remained silent and stoic. Occasionally some students in green would shout out a rude comment, and others would laugh at the insult. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noelle stayed on the stage, trying to reason with the transfiguration professor, but to no avail. Once Adora was lifted onto the stage she could make out what the prefect was saying,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is madness, they have never even dueled before. What is the point of any of this?” DT simply rolled their eyes and sarcastically addressed the prefect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There's no need to be so dramatic, why not reward your club members with a chance to shine, to prove that you’ve taught them well?” This caused Noelle to pause for a moment, if this went well it would shine very positively on her. She looks between the two chosen first years, probably two of the better students that could have been chosen. Glimmer had been steadily improving in all of her classes and Adora had already proven that she was more than capable. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few moments of hesitation, Noelle seems to agree with the professor, although reluctantly. Her shoulders lose the tension they had carried, and she moves forward to speak to the duelists. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok girls, I know this came out of nowhere,” she pauses to glare at the Transfiguration Professor who is now waving and blowing kisses into the crowd, “but, you will both do great. This is obviously just a training match, so aim to disarm. If at any point you feel in danger, drop your wand and your opponent will halt immediately.” Adora looks to Glimmer, who seems just as nervous as she felt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noelle gives them both a thumbs up and hurries off the stage. The cheers boom once more as Adora and Glimmer stand opposite to each other. She was suddenly very glad they had spent so much time learning the etiquette and positioning of professional dueling, or else she would have no idea where to stand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer now waits at the opposite end of the narrow court and gives Adora a nervous smile. Adora returns the sentiment with a friendly nod before DT tells them both to bow. They do as they’re told, and wait as the professor counts up to three. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On one, Adora alters her footing, angling her body sideways to give her opponent less area to attack. She steadies her breathing and closes her eyes for a moment of repose. The words of Shadow Weaver echo in her mind, “Magic is not a toy, it can be used to destroy and create. Do not take your eyes off of your opponent once the duel starts, or it will be over before it even begins.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On two, she snaps her eyes open to focus on Glimmer. The other girl is still moving her feet, trying to find a stance that suits her. Adora brings her wand hand forward and lets her other hand rest on her hip. She can feel as the magic inside her swirls forward, almost like it knows it is about to be called on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On three, Adora’s wand begins to glow brightly, the spell already on her tongue. Years of training and preparation had been ingrained into her. One, two, three, cast. Although her training had not prepared her for what to do when her opponent fumbled with their wand, accidentally dropping it onto the stage. Adora had to force her own wand away from the girl and calm the magic that had grown inside her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Gryffindor table hooted and hollered, by dropping her wand, even on accident, Glimmer had forfeited. The other tables respectfully clapped for the duelists, that is, except for Slytherin. Glimmer’s house starred in pure disgust, and Adora wished she could do something to help her friend. DT announced Adora as the winner, and the students began to exit the stage. Adora only manages two steps before the lights in the room flicker and the windows explode, spraying glass fragments in every direction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She brings an arm up to shield her eyes and face. She catches glimpses of dozens of wizards climbing in from the now open holes in the walls from between her fingers. They wear dark masks, covering their features. They brandish their wands at the frightened students, and scream commands at the cowering children, the messages are mixed and most students are far too fearful to move anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The largest of the intruders strides onto the platform the professors dine on, and speaks in a raspy voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you cast a single spell, we will attack.” When the commotion began, the Headmaster, as well as the other professors, had reached for their wands and brought them to point at the attackers immediately. They had not acted beyond that, Adora would have guessed it was because of how intermingled with the students they stood, there was almost no way to guarantee their safety if an all-out battle started. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The same man strides forward, confident that none of the Professors would attack, and he was affirmed when not a single one of them dared move. He sauntered over to the student closest to him on the stage, Glimmer. Adora watches as he circles the girl, wand at the ready. The poor girl has tears teetering on the edges of her eyes, and her breaths come sporadically and violently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, this is Brightmoon’s daughter? How is this school safe for students when the Headmaster can’t even protect her own child?” He uses his wand to flippantly move her pink hair off her shoulder. Glimmer whimpers when the wand scrapes against her upper arm. Adora watches as the Headmaster practically growls at the intruder, her staff scrapes against the floor, unable to fully contain her outrage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turns his back to Adora, too involved in his humiliation of the Headmaster to notice her movements. She grips her wand tightly at her side, unmoved since the duel, and begins to count in her mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>One</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she discreetly slides her right foot backward, careful not to draw attention to herself. She takes a deep breath in through her nose, she lets it mingle in her lungs before expelling it through her mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Two, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she focuses her eyes on the man who dared mess with her friends and her new home. She lifts her wand hand subtly, just until it reaches the height of her hip. She knew she would only get one shot at this. Her entire body shutters as the magic gathers, getting ready to strike.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Three</span>
  </em>
  <span>, her wand glows and her wrist snaps forward the rest of the way. The wand points directly at the vile man, her aim is definite. Though she is more than capable at quiet, and even at times nonverbal casting, she chooses to announce her spell to the room. Her lungs strain as she roars the incantation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Confringo!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time the man turns toward Adora, the spell has already exploded from her wand, hitting him directly in the chest. Glimmer had been watching as Adora readied herself and was prepared to duck out of the way of his flying body. The force of the blast caused the stage to rattle and the man was heaved into the wall of the room with a satisfying thunk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The action kicked the Professors into gear, and they quickly dismantled the remaining intruders. The men in masks balked at the scene of an eleven-year-old girl absolutely destroying their leader in one casting, and decided to come quietly. Adora was sure there was something off about this attack, Shadow Weaver would never be this forward. She used her shadows to do her bidding, and these men were definitely not of the Shadow Army. The children were wrangled out of the great hall and into their respective common rooms to await further instruction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora watched as her housemate’s adoration of her shifted into fear. There was no more chanting or slaps on the back. Bringing a man to critical condition was much different than lighting up a room and scaring one intruder away. In the hustle and hushed panic, she is able to catch the gold and blue irises only once. They stop her in her tracks, and students try to push past her. Catra gives her a short smile before disappearing into a sea of Hufflepuffs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora could live knowing that every other student in the school hated her, as long as Catra would stand by her side. She wondered if the girl would continue to support her once she knew the entire truth. She wondered if Catra would fear her as the other students did, and her stomach turned at the thought. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is the first fight scene I've ever written and it was a lot of fun. The bad guys will be revealed in the next chapter, but can anyone tell who it is now? <br/>My Instagram is LoveTheWorldLikeiShouldao3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Escape Artist</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In the longest chapter yet Catra rages against the man and teams up with Scorpia and Perfuma.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Catra’s feet subconsciously pull her around the room. She paces in circles, causing her to occasionally bump into other Hufflepuffs. They didn’t seem to mind much, everyone’s focus was elsewhere at the moment. The students had been quickly ushered inside the secret entrance by their prefects, the pictures on the walls rattling with commotion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> The walk from the great hall was short but filled with anxiety and hushed whispers. While her house usually maintained a quiet composure, even they had been panicked by the attack. Catra noticed the ladies in the painting inside the common room, who were usually lounging in the sun sipping their afternoon tea, cowered behind bushes, and quaked in fear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had been just as frightened as the rest of the students and should have been as distracted as they are, but something else weighed heavier on her mind. Catra could feel her hands shake at the memory of Adora and Glimmer on that stage, frighteningly close to the horrible man who made her stomach turn. His face may have been covered, but she could hear the sneer in his voice as he danced along the stage, toying with the professors.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She clenched her fist tightly, her fingernails scratched her palms in anger. When the windows shattered, she had not reacted, she had done nothing to help. She had been useless once again, and this time when her friends were in real danger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had only watched in horror as Adora blasted the man off the stage and into the rocky walls of the room. Catra desperately wished the man would live, both so that it wouldn’t rest on Adora’s conscience, and also so that she could finish the job herself. All around the room, whispers of Adora’s actions wavered in the air. Catra could distinctly hear some students condemning her, while others were thankful, if not a bit intimidated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was not only the power of the spell that made the others uneasy, but the haste and lack of hesitation that Adora had displayed. The spell had been perfectly placed and executed, something most other students could only dream about. She scared them, maybe more than the intruders had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra simply could not believe what she was hearing, the blonde had been nothing but kind-hearted since the moment she first met her. How could the Hufflepuffs turn on Adora so quickly, after all the time they had spent praising her bravery and copying off her transfiguration homework. Anger burns her ears, and she tries to block out the voices.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She couldn’t help but juxtapose the memories of Adora softly spinning her during their dance with the fresh memory of her wrist snapping forward to hurl a deadly curse at the enemy. The same hand that had caught her from falling into the icy waves had been the same to cast a devastating spell that sent the man soaring over the heads of the students. And yet, both times had been to rescue her friends from peril.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra had known the girl was powerful, but this was simply unprecedented. Catra easily recognized the spell from Castaspella’s lessons on spells to never use on another wizard. Confringo, also known as the blasting curse, could easily tear up a street or blast open a building. The man must have been wearing some incredibly powerful protection charms, or else the clean up of the great room would have required a few more mops. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The opening of the wooden hatch drew Catra from her thoughts. All eyes turned to watch as Professor Castaspella stepped into the crowded room. Her hair, which usually held a near-perfect form under her tiara, was frayed and pieces fell out of place. Her eyes revealed how scared and tired she must have been, the redness not going unnoticed by Catra. She took a moment to gather herself before addressing the fidgeting students.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to start by saying I am very proud of all of you for staying calm and listening to instructions,” she quieted and mumbled her next few words, “the same can not be said for the Gryffindors.” Catra notices her hand trembles as it wipes some stray hairs from her forehead, the events of the night had been particularly draining on the Professors. She pauses, partially due to exhaustion. The silence in the room does not give in until she makes the next announcement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Details will be released when we learn more, but what you have to know now is that no students were hurt, and we are in lockdown until further notice.” Some students grumble at the news, their holiday festivities and responsibility-free weekend had just taken a turn for the worst. She turns to leave, but Catra is able to wiggle between the bodies and grab her arm before she is able to push the hatch open once more. The professor flinches at the contact but relaxes when she recognizes the girl holding onto her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Professor, is that man going to be alright?” Catra desperately wants the answer to be yes, even after the terror he caused. She had never heard of a case where a student brutally murders a man in the middle of the great hall and isn’t immediately expelled, or worse. She had just found Adora, and she already couldn’t imagine her life without her best friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The professor’s gaze holds sympathy, but the words she responds with do not appease the girl one bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra, I am sorry but I am not allowed to say right now. Just know, whatever happens, Adora will be fine. We won’t let anything happen to her, not if we have any say in the matter.” Catra releases her grip and lets her arm fall beside her. Castaspella awkwardly pats the girl on the head before exiting the same way she came in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The professor’s words replay in her mind, and instead of comforting her, they petrify the Hufflepuff. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If they had any say in the matter</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it sounded nice, but the more she thought about it the more she had to wonder. Did the professors have any real input? Did the Headmaster? They certainly hadn’t been able to stop the shadow intruder, or the ministry when they took Micah to be interrogated. Even today, the professors just stood and watched as Adora put herself at risk once more to protect the other students. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why should Catra believe anything they tell her when they’ve continued to keep secrets from everyone. Secrets about the mirror, the monster living in the school, and the people who had just attacked them. All she had asked is if he was still alive, a simple yes or no question, and they still had been unable to give her a straight answer. She was done taking orders from those she did not respect. She wasn’t going to be another people pleaser like her sister. She was going to pave her own path, a path that starts here and now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She spins on a heel with force and pushes through the muttering students. She is far too focused on her objective to notice them groaning about their ruined weekend plans, and pushes past those who stand in front of the stairs she is trying to ascend. Her mind raced, and she unlocks her bedroom door through muscle memory.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She slams the door behind her in haste, startling the sleepy feline lounging on her bed. She stomps around the room in frustration, her anger effectively echoing through the dorm. Melog resigns himself to awakeness and thoroughly stretches, nails clawing into the sheets. He tries to catch Catra’s attention by jumping off the bed and circling between her feet, but he is unsuccessful in his mission. The girl is far too upset and fixated to acknowledge her fluffy friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra quickly changes out of her nice clothes, the purple collared shirt and black slacks did not suit her plan. Her mother would be disappointed that she was unable to take any pictures in the outfit, but the situation had changed. Currently, it is better for her to wear clothes more suited for magic and stealth. Her Hogwarts uniform would do just fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She is tying the black and yellow fabric around her neck when she hears a knock at the door. It opens before she is able to respond, and she internally berates herself for not locking it. It opens just far enough for a nervous hand to infiltrate her space. Catra’s self-appointed best friend waves at her through the crack in the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey there wildcat, how are you doing?” Catra can’t help but roll her eyes at the girl. Of course Scorpia would come to find her, the girl never seemed to leave her alone. When Catra doesn’t answer immediately, Scorpia lets herself in and sits carefully on the bed. Catra instinctively recoils at the action, she is particularly perturbed at the moment and responds aggressively,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, yeah, that's fine. Just make yourself at home, I guess. It’s not like this is </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>room or anything.” Catra turns toward the girl in fury, more vicious words ready on her tongue, but they all die when she looks at the other girl. Her eyes are filled with understanding and compassion, and Catra’s throat tightens as her emotions finally catch up to her. Melog once more circles around her feet and looks up at her, meowing quietly. She falters when tears start to fall down her cheek and tries to wipe them away without the other girl noticing. If she does see them, she does not mention it. Instead, she walks up to the shorter girl and pulls her into a signature Scorpia embrace. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the first time since meeting the third-year, Catra does not struggle out of the hug, and instead lets herself be comforted. This allows her to take a few much needed deep breaths. The Hufflepuffs stand like that for a couple of seconds, until Catra eventually steps away. She clears her throat before addressing the taller girl,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, thanks.” Catra awkwardly appreciates Scorpia. The other Hufflepuff seems encouraged by the response and unveils a huge smile. Catra can’t help but roll her eyes at the affectionate display, she knew she would never live down this moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, what are you planning?” The older girl accuses Catra, a finger jokingly pointed at the girl. Catra’s eyes widen and she gestures in a way that indicates her innocence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you're talking about, I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>break the rules.” Scorpia doesn’t believe her for one second. The girl looks at her pointedly, refusing to budge on the issue. Catra decides to give in, they are only wasting time now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, but you can’t stop me.” She took a deep breath before quickly explaining herself, “I need to get to Adora, but the doors are guarded and there's no way they will just let me walk to the Gryffindor common room. Castaspella wouldn’t tell me what happened to the guy Adora blasted, but she could get in a lot of trouble. She was just trying to help, I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” Scorpia halt’s the shorter girl’s rant by gently placing a hand on her shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re a good friend Catra, but we’re in lockdown right now. How would you even get out of our common room, let alone all the way across the school?” Catra opens her mouth, ready to argue, even though she did not, in fact, have a plan in place. The taller girl notices her silence and scrunches her face in thought. She squints one eye and begins muttering under her breath, listing possible scenarios as they pop into her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Scorpia unknowingly voices her inner monologue. “Well, I may know a way out of the castle you could use, but I would need to ask her for help. Hmm, but even if we get outside, there's no way we can sneak all the way to the Gryffindor common room, we would be seen as soon as we got out of the secret entrance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra holds her tongue and decides to let the older girl work out the logistics of the plan as she watches in bemusement. Scorpia brings a hand to her own chin, deep in thought. “The tunnel does lead directly under Huntara’s supply shed, where she keeps all the brooms. I’m not much of a flyer, but if I was, that would be my plan. Grab a broom and find an open window in the Gryffindor dorms.” The girl finishes the thought with a proud smile on her face, that is until she looks toward Catra, who is practically vibrating in excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Scorpia, that’s genius!” The third-year blushes and tries to wave the compliment away while realizing she had just spoken everything out loud. Catra hurries to grab her bag and other things she felt were essential to her secret mission. This included her potion of fire resistance and school cloak. Scorpia hurriedly followed the girl around her room, trying to delay the inevitable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra, you can’t be serious. If you get caught you could be in a lot of trouble. Think of the detentions, even suspension! Plus, it's dangerous outside the castle walls!” Catra stops just before shoving her wand into the satchel, and looks to her friend, a glint of determination in her eyes. As she speaks, the anger inside her manifests in tightened fists and grinded teeth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s dangerous inside the castle. They can’t protect us, so we have to help ourselves. We should stop being so scared and start acting more like Adora. She would never just sit around if I was in trouble.” Instead of placing the wand into the bag like she would normally do, she instead takes a page from Adora’s book and slips it into a pocket inside her robes. This would make it easier to find if she did run into something undesirable. She slings the bag over her shoulder and looks at her friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to help me, but I’m going to do it with or without you.” Scorpia runs a hand through her short hair and huffs in frustration, it was clear she could do nothing to stop the first-year, the least she could do at this point was to be there for her new friend. She nods her head reluctantly,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, I’ll help. I’m only doing this so you don’t get hurt. I still think leaving the castle during lockdown is a bad idea, but if you think it's the only way, then I trust you.” Catra’s breath hitches at the sincerity of the comment, and all she can do is nod her head in affirmation. The older girl smiles at her and continues explaining the plan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re going to need Perfuma to make this work. She’s the only one who knows how to open the secret tunnel under the floorboards.” Scorpia informs Catra that the girl they are looking for is probably among the rest of the Hufflepuffs, hovering around the front door, waiting for updates on the situation. They exit Catra’s room and descend into the subdued mosh pit below.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra, being one of the shortest students in the room, can barely see anything over the assembly. Scorpia, on the other hand, is quickly able to identify the girl integral to their plan and pulls Catra through the crowd. Perfuma is one of the only students not completely preoccupied with the commotion and suspense of the night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She is quietly tending to a small magic plant on one of the room’s window sills. The red petals sway left to right, following the girl’s movements, seemingly waiting to be fed. This flower didn’t look anything like Catra had ever seen before. Where the stigma of the flower should have been, instead there were four sharp teeth surrounded by smaller pincers. It lightly snaps at her finger when she tosses a green food pellet into its awaiting jaws. Perfuma doesn’t seem to be phased by its aggressive behavior and quietly hums a lullaby.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde Hufflepuff wears a long flowing dress, translucent in some places, but also simply modest. Her hair is tied up with various live flowers that seem to grow and shrink as she moves closer and further from a light source. Catra thinks that she might have heard Scorpia mumble something about how beautiful she looks, but it is impossible to be sure over the immense noise in the room. Voices speak over each other and Catra has to desperately strain to only listen to the conversation about to take place in front of her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Scorpia stops tugging Catra along once they are within a few feet of the girl. Perfuma notices their entrance instantly and greets the tall girl with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello Scorpia, how are you tonight?” The third-year blushes and stutters out a semblance of a sentence as Catra just watches in confusion. Scorpia was also still dressed in her event gown, a simple black dress with jagged patterns along the arms. The outfit seemed to be a bit short on the girl, and Catra was sure that happened often. Scorpia eventually catches her breath and is able to tell the flowery girl about their patchwork plan. Her reaction was not as zealous as Catra’s had been, and instead, the hesitation is obvious. Catra wonders if confiding in this strange girl was their best bet, she could easily call over a prefect and ruin everything if she was so inclined. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know I wouldn’t ask unless it was important.” Scorpia pouts and takes the blonde’s hand in hers, pleading with her. Catra could swear that Perfuma blushed at the contact, and wonders what is up with these third-years. She may not be an expert in romance but she recognizes the longing looks they are giving each other. Her mother often wore the same face when her father would come home after a particularly long business trip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perfuma’s resolve is weakened and she quickly gives in to the girl’s request. She quietly gestures for Scorpia and Catra to follow her as she walks out of the main common area to a small door hidden under the furthest staircase.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All three Hufflepuffs shuffle to fit inside before Scorpia closes the door behind them. Catra is the only one who does not have to duck to avoid hitting her head on the low ceiling. She climbs in as far as possible, to give the tallest girl more room. Her face scrunches and she sputters as a thin spider web sticks to her forehead. Catra quickly wipes her face and reaches into her pocket when she notices the room is completely void of light.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The darkness is split open when Catra thrusts her wand forward and casts lumos in an effort to see what is in front of her. Perfuma thanks her, then pulls on a seemingly innocuous string attached to the ceiling. She tugs with all her might, and the other two girls back up in apprehension, far enough that their backs hit the door. At first nothing happens, and Catra glances sideways to Scorpia, who shrugs, also unsure of what Perfuma was up to. After a few seconds of stillness, the entire back wall slowly falls out of place, revealing a steep staircase descending into darkness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perfuma smiles and proudly gestures to the opening in the wall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Be careful and watch your step, it can get pretty slippery. When you come to a fork in the path, go right. To the left is a family of badgers I’ve been taking care of, and they can be very protective of their young.” Catra stared at the girl in confusion but nodded. Scorpia thanked her profusely and promised they would be careful and would stay far from the animals. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra carefully illuminates the steep wooden staircase, water seems to drip every few seconds onto the steps. She could see some steps were thoroughly rotted through, and is careful to watch where she rests her feet. The large girl clambering behind her has a much harder time avoiding the weak points. Every now and then Catra can hear the wood splintering as Scorpia is barely able to maintain her balance and resist falling through the gaps. Eventually, they arrive at the flattened tunnel Perfuma had told them about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The journey only takes about twenty minutes, but was slowed by the moist ground and skittering creatures who would come out looking for food, probably expecting Perfuma. Catra didn’t particularly care for the rats and frogs littering the hallway, but Scorpia was extra careful to avoid accidentally stepping on any. When they came across the fork in the tunnel, they easily turned right and avoided the opposite tunnel that echoed distressed animal noises. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they weren’t avoiding animals or ducking under rotting beams, Scorpia was chatting. She talked about all of her classes, about her family, and all of her </span>
  <em>
    <span>many </span>
  </em>
  <span>interests. Catra couldn’t bring herself to put a stop to the ramblings, after all, Scorpia was helping her out of the goodness of her heart, for nothing in return. The least she could do was partially listen to the girl’s hopes and dreams.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From what Catra did retain, she learned that Scorpia’s parents were both Slytherins, and had hoped their daughter would follow after their examples. Clearly the girl didn’t have a green bone in her body, and at first was also very upset to be sorted into Hufflepuff. She was an only child, and thus her family’s legacy rested on her shoulders alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The more Scorpia spoke, the more Catra realized their similarities. She wondered if that was why the girl had come up to her after the sorting ceremony. Could Scorpia sense the disappointment she had first felt when she was initially passed up for Slytherin? The chatter slowed as they grew closer to their destination.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finally come to the end of the long hallway, where a flimsy rope ladder leads to a wooden hatch. Scorpia volunteers to climb up first and scope out for trouble, and before Catra can disagree, grabs the rungs and pulls herself up. Once at the top, she heaves the door up and out, allowing for a small ray of light to escape into the tunnel. Catra watches as Scopria pulls herself the rest of the way into the above room. Catra tucks her wand into her pocket when the girl gives her a gesture that meant the coast was clear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra had been climbing trees her entire life, and had only ever fallen out of one, so this was a piece of cake. When she finally pulls her head into the room, she is stunned at the sights that meet her. The entire small room is lined end to end with broomsticks of varying makes and models. She easily recognizes the standard training broom, but also spots some of the more expensive equipment, usually preserved for the referees during Quidditch matches. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small lamp hanging from the low ceiling illuminates the shed. Inside the glass there appears to be a candle, but the heat of the fire doesn’t melt the wax, and instead glows without waning. The walls appear to be made of green metallic material and reflect some light into Catra’s eyes. While she is busy ogling the broomsticks, Scorpia covers the hatch in the floor and softly kicks some stray straw over the wood to better hide it from view. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what are you going to do now?” The taller girl questions Catra. She ponders the question for a moment, she hadn’t really thought this far forward, but she knew she needed to reach Adora. Back when she was rambling in Catra’s room, Scorpia had mentioned that they might be able to climb in through an open window in the Gryffindor dorms. Catra figured this was probably their best bet, and informed Scorpia of exactly that. She apprehensively looks at the smaller girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It might be a good idea if I don’t follow you for this part. I am, how would you say, not the best flyer. They don’t call me Good Ol' Two Left Hands for nothing, and sometimes I forget I’m supposed to be holding on at all and just slide right off. Maybe I'll stay here and keep watch?” Catra jokingly rolls her eyes at the odd girl and peruses the options. She lets her hands run through the bristles and admires the different types of wood lining the room. She finds herself in a daze, but refocuses once she finds the exact broom she is looking for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some students kept their brooms in their room, sometimes hanging on the wall, or shoved under their bed, but Noelle trusts hers to Coach Huntara. She believed the other houses were less likely to tamper with it when it was locked in the training shed. Catra carefully grasps the wood between her hands and turns it over. Memories of Christmas morning ring in her mind, Noelle so excited to get her very first broom while Catra wails about not getting one herself. Her father had promised Catra she would get her own broom when the time was right.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She can't help the smile on her face as she walks outside the small outdoor room and looks up to the night sky. She appreciates that this would have been a good night for Astronomy class, the sky is brilliantly lit up with constellations and planets. She has a pretty good idea of how to find the dormitory, Adora had told her that a few of her housemates had hung Halloween decorations outside the windows for the holiday. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without any hesitation, she swings a leg over the broom and kicks off into the air. Her first experience with flying had been life-altering, and this was no different. Noelle’s broom handled like it knew what Catra wanted to do before she even directed it. In a matter of seconds, she was spiraling high into the air, the wind blowing through her hair and robes. She laughed loudly before she remembered that she was currently on an important stealth mission.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With squinted eyes, she narrows in on her destination. Two open windows with smiling jack-o lanterns sitting precariously on a shelf overlooking the courtyard. She leans into the broom as it speeds up to match her enthusiasm. She slows once she can see into the room, it is decorated much like her own. On one wall a Gryffindor poster hangs over a dresser, and a few Quidditch memorabilia line the desks. The largest difference between this room and her own is the size. The Gryffindor dorms sleep four per room, so the area in this one room seemed to be almost double what Catra was used to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra notices one bed that had been left undecorated, no posters or toys, just the standard first-year reading material and equipment. The owner of the bed laid face down on the mattress, already dressed for sleeping. She no longer wore the maroon dress and the matching cardigan. She was now only dressed in a washed-out t-shirt and red plaid patterned flannel pants. It takes barely a second before Catra recognizes her best friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stealthily glides up to the window, careful to avoid the teterrring pumpkins. The windows are large enough for the small girl to easily grab hold and pull herself through in one graceful motion. Though agile, she still makes a noticeable “</span>
  <em>
    <span>kerplunk</span>
  </em>
  <span>” when colliding with one of the desks that sits in front of the window.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The commotion startles Adora, causing her to look up in surprise. Catra meets her gaze, before the Gryffindor quickly looks away. She could only see Adora’s red eyes for a moment, but it was long enough to tell that the girl had been crying. The Gryffindor laying on her bed sniffles her nose and wipes her face to hide the emotions from Catra. She looks at her friend curiously, only now seeming to realize that Catra had somehow managed to find her during a school-wide lockdown. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing here, and how did you get in?” Catra shyly kicks at some clutter on the ground, suddenly embarrassed by her brash actions. She had been sure she needed to get to Adora, but she hadn’t taken the time to think if Adora needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She clears her throat and avoids her eyes before answering,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought I could help, but I don’t know what I was thinking, you don’t need me.” Why would Adora, the first-year that single-handedly defended Hogwarts tonight, want someone as useless as her? She turns back to the window, angry at herself for inconveniencing Scorpia, Perfuma, and Adora, with her childish antics. She is about to step back onto the desk in order to leap out the fourth story window, when she feels someone grasp her wrist. She refuses to turn around, surely the girl would laugh at her stupidity, and mock her for ever thinking she was good enough for Adora.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hand moves off of her wrist when Catra stands her ground, but instead of retreating, moves to wrap around her waist from behind. The next thing she knows, Adora is hugging her back and has her face pushed between Catra’s shoulder blades. The fabric there is moist from the taller girl’s tears. It takes her a few seconds before she realizes that Adora is crying once more. As soon as the realization is made, Catra spins in her arms and embraces the Gryffindor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde’s head falls to the crook of her neck and she tightens her grip on the girl. Suddenly, she no longer feels useless, she needs Adora, but Adora also needs her. Surely this budding codependence will never lead to any toxic traits or jealousy in the future. She is more determined than ever to help her best friend in any way she can.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sniffling lessens over time, and eventually Adora pulls out of the hug. Her face is red and her cheeks shine with the remaining tears. She looks at Catra, and asks her something to which she has no answer,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra, did I kill him?” The shorter girl swallows a lump in her throat before explaining what Castaspella had informed her. They had no way of knowing until the adults decided to update them on the situation, if ever. At this, Adora seems to shrink further into herself. Catra’s heartaches as she watches the girl blame herself for the events of the night. She knew that Adora must have heard the ludicrous mumbling of the other students. They feared her, and they would only avoid her more if the man did not survive the attack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If the man was still alive, he would have been taken directly to the hospital ward, the same place Adora was forced to shamble to each time she was injured in Brooms Club. This gave Catra an idea, an idiotic idea, but there was nothing better as of now. She quickly grabbed the broom that had fallen out of her hand when Adora first hugged her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora just watched her in confusion as her friend clambered onto the desk closest to the open window and straddled the broom. Catra flashed a mischievous smile and patted the stick behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, hop on! We can fly over the nurse’s office and see into the hospital ward. If he’s alive, he’ll definitely be there!” The Gryffindor looks to her friend in baffled horror. It had been explained to them early on in their training that only one witch or wizard should ever sit on a broom at a time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think that's a good idea, what if I tip us over and we fall? Is that broom even big enough for both of us?” The blonde rambles, trying to avoid what Catra had already determined to be inevitable. She rolls her eyes at the girl and once more gestures to the broom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just sit behind me and hold on tight, I think I know what I’m doing. You said it yourself, I’m the best flyer in all of Hogwarts.” She can’t help the smirk that finds her lips. Adora hesitates again, clearly annoyed that Catra had used her motivational speech against her, but the hesitation does not last. She grabs a cloak from her bedpost and wraps it around herself before climbing up behind Catra. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The positioning is awkward at first, and Adora’s grip on her stomach is light, until Catra directs the broom to hover a few inches into the air. Instantly, the Gryffindor scoots closer to Catra, and her arms lock around her middle, almost knocking the air out of her lungs. The breath on her ear distracts her for a moment, allowing the broom to slightly drift backwards. She is only able to refocus when Adora pushes her forehead into her back, similar to when she had initiated the hug earlier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She brings the broom forward, slowly at first until they clear the window, but when they get into the open air, Catra speeds up significantly. If possible, the arms around her tighten and Adora’s face is pushed further into her bones, almost painfully. This causes her to slow down, just enough for Adora to become more comfortable with flying. Catra can feel her slowly lift her head up, and smiles when she hears a single world leave the girl’s mouth,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whoa.” The stars had not dimmed since Catra first hopped on the broom, in fact, they seemed to light up even bolder. It wasn’t long before Adora loosened her grip and started to enjoy herself. She would even bring one hand off Catra to point out a constellation they had learned last week in class. Catra had thought that her favorite pastime had been flying, but now she was sure that it had to be flying with Adora. The girl seemed to make everything in her life better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Adora had been distracted with the night sky, Catra had been able to locate the hospital ward. Catra would be lying if she said that she had not found this particular room from the sky before. In the past, she felt bad leaving the Gryffindor alone while injured, and had sometimes hovered around the skylight on her broom to ensure the girl was alright. The broom slowed as they approached their destination.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lights from inside stood a stark contrast on the sky of blackness. It would be very unlikely for someone inside to look up and see the students hovering precariously above. On the other hand, Catra and Adora could easily see inside the shiny, tiled room. Only one bed was currently in use, surrounded by the Headmaster, Professor Micah, and Professor Castaspella. They were speaking, and Catra brought the broom closer in order to hear the conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are a fool! How did you think this little stunt of yours would turn out?” She had never witnessed the Headmaster so full of fury, barring earlier in the night when Glimmer had been in danger. She addressed the man that lay in the bed, covered head to toe in bandages, but clearly alive. His face was free of the mask, and Catra noticed he must have been in his fifties, with a salt and pepper beard covering the lower part of his face. The man did not seem deterred at her shouts and tried to lift himself, flinching at every movement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were conducting a surprise test of your defenses, since last time we were unsure if you could be trusted to protect these children. Clearly we now have an answer.” He chuckled, as if he had somehow won the argument.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castaspella growls in frustration, and even Micah, who is known for his levelheadedness, shouts at the man’s idiocracy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chief Lashor, you will surely be fired for this, attacking young students to prove some kind of delusional agenda?” Fury grows in his voice, frightening Catra. “Even Light Hope will not be able to look past this. Frankly, you are lucky to be alive right now!” Catra can feel Adora go ridgid behind her. The man lying in the bed thinks for a moment before commenting,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t know you taught your students to kill? She would certainly make for a talented Auror one day,” his teeth reveal a sickening smile, “maybe I should show her a few tricks, give her a taste of her own medicine.” Catra’s grip tightens on the broom, while one hand drifts to her pocket, where her wand sits patiently waiting. Before she can do anything careless, they hear a loud “</span>
  <em>
    <span>SHWAP</span>
  </em>
  <span>” from under them. It only takes Catra a moment to realize that Professor Castaspella had slapped the man across the face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare </span>
  </em>
  <span>you threaten my students,” if looks could kill, the man would have been buried six feet under by now. His face returns to a stoic disposition, and he sneers at all in attendance before proclaiming,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should count your lucky stars now, because when I become minister next year, you will all be out of a job. I don’t care if I’m fired from the ministry, it will only give me more time to campaign. I will bring honor back to the wizarding world, the time for halfbreeds and mudbloods is over.” His laughs echo through the room as the three adults leave him behind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their flight back to Adora’s room is quiet, neither is sure what to say. It seemed to Catra that every time she went looking for answers, all she found were more questions. Why would their own government attack them, and was the man serious about getting revenge on Adora? She promised herself that no matter what happened, she would be brave, loyal, and cautious. There were many forces in the world that wanted to hurt them, and every day they seemed to find another. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the long wait, I was feeling pretty sick, and then my editor's laptop broke, so just a rough week. But it gave me the time to really work on this chapter and make it twice as long as my usual chapters, so hopefully, it makes up for the wait. <br/>My Instagram is LoveTheWorldLikeiShouldao3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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